Pumping and Diversion TMDL

One of the major issues currently facing the Ventura River is 'pumping and diversion'.  The river has been listed by the State Water Resources Control Board as 'impaired' in Reaches 3 and 4 due to excessive water diversion.  The water board is now considering developing a TMDL, or 'Total Maximum Daily Load', for this impairment.  The alternative is a MOA (Memorandum of Agreement) and plan of action for local water agencies to cooperate on a groundwater management plan.

Diversion of surface flows occurs at the Robles Diversion Dam (Reach 4) and at Foster Park (Reach 3) as well as smaller private diversions.  Pumping occurs at numerous wells that extract water from the shallow aquifers that are connected to surface flows.  In both cases, the amount of water flowing in the river is diminished, impairing ecological function.  For example, low flows become a problem when combined with excessive algae growth - this reduces dissolved oxygen levels that aquatic life depends upon.  (See Algae: problem or symptom?)

Pumping water from wells during dry summer months may cause pools to rapidly dry up, stranding and killing native steelhead trout and other aquatic species.  Although this often goes unseen (they become fodder for predators such as herons, racoons, etc.), fisheries managers in past years have responded by relocated fish from drying pools.

Pumping and Diversion has been discussed during several of the recent watershed council meetings, along with presentations about water rights and the effects of wells on surface flows.  As one would expect, there is controversy surrounding the cause and effect, and some even question if there is reason for the impairment listing.

In order to illustrate the problem, Santa Barbara ChannelKeeper produced this video:



The timelapse sequence in this video and the pressure logger illustrate the rapid filling and drying of a pool on the Ventura River Preserve.  Because this occurs independently of time of day it suggests that something other than natural evapotranspiration is occurring to impact surface flows in the river.

To illustrate the issue, local groundwater professional Jordan Kear has provided presentations to the Watershed Council. These graphics are from Surface & Groundwater Interaction Study, Kear 7-17-12

The main stem of the Ventura River is divided into two groundwater basins, with the division occurring at Foster Park.

To understand what happens to surface flow, one must understand how the stream interacts with groundwater.  A stream may be 'gaining' or 'losing' depending upon the level of the water table beneath and adjacent to the river channel.  And when the water table drops far enough the stream becomes 'disconnected.' 

One of the areas in question is Reach 4, the section of river downstream of the Robles Diversion  within the upper Ventura River groundwater basin.  As the figure below illustrates, this 'Robles Reach' is usually a 'losing stream,' which often becomes 'disconnected' in dry periods. 

Then, as river flows increase during winter months and the groundwater basin fills back up, and surface flows re-establish.  (In extremely wet periods it may also become a 'gaining stream')

Surface water (dotted line) and Groundwater (solid blue line) interaction
 in the Robles Reach of the Ventura River  (Kear Groundwater)

Although this Surface & Groundwater Interaction Study concluded that "pumping of wells has a relatively minor effect on river flow," this was based upon an experiment that revealed the Meiners Oaks Water District wells reduced river flows by up to 1.5 cfs (cubic feet per second.)  However, this conclusion does not take into account the cumulative effects of multiple wells pumping from the same groundwater basin when summer inflows from Matilija Creek may only be 5-10 cfs or less.

 Reach 4 - Wells within 1000 ft of Ventura River

What this study does demonstrate is that there is some direct interaction between groundwater pumping and surface flows.  What is less clear is the effect from wells farther from the river, but within the larger Upper Ventura River groundwater basin.

Wells within the Upper and Lower Ventura groundwater basins

Last year, a first cut at developing a water budget for the two groundwater basins was presented with the Upper and Lower Ventura River Basin Groundwater Budget.  (The first draft of this analysis suggested an overdraft of 3,240 acre-feet per year, before Lake Casitas storage/supply was added.)

Reach 3 is under similar stress, as the City of Ventura has recently constructed new wells at Foster Park.  Although these wells are regulated by NOAA Fisheries, who have established minimum flow criteria, this reach is influenced by other extractions which have cumulative effects on surface flows.

Although this is clearly a difficult issue, the TMDL listing has brought many of the major water suppliers and users together to potentially work cooperatively on a groundwater management plan.

It is important to understand that this is not only about endangered species and recreation, which are protected under the Clean Water Act, but most importantly the future sustainability of our communities, including over 100,000 residents in Ojai and Ventura:

• Our communities depend almost entirely on the Ventura River for water supply
• In recent years, expansion of agriculture as well as planned urban development are increasing pressure on this limited resource
• New wells are being constructed, increasing groundwater pumping
• Currently there is no coordinated oversight of groundwater resources on the main stem of the Ventura River
• We are clearly at, or above, the maximum sustainable water extraction from the Ventura River

More info:

Pumping and Diversion Fact Sheet

A Really Short Course on Water Rights, Birosik 6-13-12

Surface & Groundwater Interaction Study, Kear 7-17-12 (2.8 Mb)

Upper and Lower VRB GW Budget and Management Presentation 05-25-2010 (3.4 Mb)

Upper and Lower Ventura River Basin Groundwater Budget and Management Plan (18 Mb)


See also:

http://www.venturariver.org/search/label/groundwater

http://venturawatershed.org/presentations

http://friendsofventurariver.org/document/?cat=Ground%20Water

http://venturawatershed.org/past-meetings


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Ventura's new water department

Ventura hires general manager to oversee new water department

She and another finalist were interviewed by a panel of city officials, environmentalists and business leaders, including representatives of the Ventura Chamber of Commerce and the Surfrider Foundation, according to the city.

http://www.vcstar.com/news/2011/may/14/ventura-hires-general-manager-to-oversee-new

Letter to the editor:

While it is misleading to suggest that Surfrider Foundation formally endorsed Ms. Epstein, we are reserving judgment until we see if she can succeed in integrating our water supply, stormwater and wastewater management.

... [Otherwise]...the ratepayers will merely be paying more money for more of the same, while jeopardizing our sustainable future.

And that will be much worse than just another missed opportunity.

http://www.vcstar.com/news/2011/may/18/water-department-management/

Ojai citizens want local control of water

In the news last week, Ojai group wants to buy out Golden State Water.



The group Ojai FLOW, Friends of Locally Owned Water, has proposed a special public district to buy out their water provider, Golden State Water Co. They propose for Casitas Water District to manage the water supply and infrastructure. According to their website, Golden State is a subsidiary of American States Water Company and is a public utility company engaged principally in the purchase, production, distribution, and sale of water.

For those who have seen the film FLOW (For Love Of Water,) this is a familiar theme. International corporations have seized on the profit potential of controlling water supplies, and there are now many cases in which local people have lost control, and sometimes even the rights to access their local own water supplies. Major businesses depicted in the film are Nestle, The Coca-Cola Company, Suez, and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

This movement in Ojai has been brewing for a while, largely in response to ever-increasing rate hikes. At stake is the sustainability of the Ventura River itself.


Read more: http://www.vcstar.com/news/2011/apr/19/ojai-group-wants-to-buy-out-golden-state-water/

On the web: http://www.ojaiflow.com


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Blog action day - Water

Blog Action Day is an annual event held every October 15 that unites the world’s bloggers in posting about the same issue on the same day with the aim of sparking a global discussion and driving collective action. This year's topic is water.

Blog Action Day 2010: Water from Blog Action Day on Vimeo.

This Ventura River Ecosystem blog has been a means to communicate the complex issues that our community faces in stewardship of our watershed and coastal resources. It is increasingly clear that 'Ecosystem-based Management' is all about water. How we manage our fresh water directly impacts our coast and ocean. Water is the universal fluid that directly connects our actions on land with the sea that we all depend upon.



The Ventura River Watershed is a microcosm for water and watershed management. With an area of only 225 square miles, the Ventura River is small enough to provide an opportunity to develop a model of holistic management. Our watershed includes all the pieces of the puzzle: from highly urbanized areas to small rural communities; large dam removal to 'ocean friendly gardens;' a large surface reservoir to local aquifers. In this climate of flood and drought, we need to begin to coordinate our efforts in a sustainable manner. Because climate change adaptation is all about Water.

Although it seems we are currently stuck in the cycle of 'one step forward and two steps backward,' my hope is that this blog will help serve to raise the level of awareness in our community so that we may move forward with a common vision - one that will provide a sustainable future for our children and our children's children. Our lives depend on it.

Cycle of Insanity film trailer

The Cycle of Insanity: The Real Story of Water

The H20 project is coming to fruition, thanks to a dedicated crew of creative Surfrider volunteers and staff. We recognize that our current water management systems are broken, and this 'Cycle of Insanity' is the root cause of many of our coastal problems.

This new short film dives into controversial problems and solutions related to water management and serves as a practical outline for citizens curious about water issues.

The Cycle of Insanity: The Real Story of Water - TRAILER 1 from Surfrider Foundation San Diego C on Vimeo.

The film's public premiere will cooincide with World Water Day, Monday March 22, 2010. The San Diego Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation will sponsor an event at The Loft on the campus of UC San Diego.

The project was spearheaded by the San Diego Chapter and co-sponsored by Surfrider Chapters throughout California, including the Ventura County Chapter.

If you don't see the film here (and are seeing this on FB), click on "view original post."

Big surf may mean future rains?

Thanksgiving brought another round of waves to Ventura Point. The holiday weekend brought out the crowds too. Large, powerful Pacific swells create a current that sweeps through the pier, a hazard to the inexperienced surfer. According to the newspaper, lifeguards had 22 rescues over Thanksgiving, and even discussed 'closing' the point to surfing.

Winter swells are formed by storms tracking across the Pacific Ocean, blowing gales over a long 'fetch' of open ocean. Whether or not we get rain is dependent on where these storms make landfall. Often a high pressure off the west coast will turn the storms northward, with Portland/Seattle getting all the rain. This high pressure is common in 'La Nina' years.

'El Nino' is the phenomenon that historically brings us rain. Forecasters are predicting that this year may see a 'moderate' El Nino. This means we will likely see 'more consistent and larger surf than has been seen in the past 3+ years, and perhaps better than anything in the last 10+ years.'

But 'moderate' may still result in a storm track that veers north as it approaches the coast. Good weather for surfing, perhaps not so good for farming. Or, if these early swells are any indication, we may see a repeat of 1998 which recorded some of the highest rainfall of the past century.

Lots more info on El Nino at Stormsurf.com

H2O project update

The Know Your H2O project is moving forward. Our chapter helped co-sponsor the creation of a flash-video production that describes the 'Cycle of Insanity' that is our current water management system...



More info on the KYH2O blog linked here

The Ventura Experiment

The Ventura Experiment
Wednesday, Oct 28th - The Green Coalition of Ventura County

A student group from the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management at UCSB presented their project which will feature Ventura as a model city working to reduce community carbon emissions. The goals of the study are to determine what to do, how to do it, and how much it will cost.

Around the world a selection of “Pioneer Cities” are undergoing similar projects. Ventura will be linked to Wuxi, a city on the Yangtse River in China. The group in Ventura on Wednesday night included a student from China, who also presented some insights from his country.

The study will have three steps. Bren students will evaluate our carbon footprint as a community. They will design a menu of strategies for reducing our greenhouse gas emissions. Then they will develop a feasibility analysis of the political and economic factors of our community. In addition to a set of recommendations for Ventura they hope to create a toolkit adoptable to other communities.

Of note was a 'wordle' taken from their initial work. (Wordles are like the label cloud on this blog, or this.) In this case, Water turned out to be the primary word. The group discussed how low flow shower heads and other water conservation measures can reduce carbon emissions - yes, saving water reduces energy used in pumping and heating the water we use on a daily basis.

The project web page has a wealth of information on the project and references on technologies and strategies. We can look for the results in the spring of 2010.

Home - the film

The big picture... our Home



http://www.youtube.com/homeproject

We are living in exceptional times. Scientists tell us that we have 10 years to change the way we live, avert the depletion of natural resources and the catastrophic evolution of the Earth's climate.

VCReporter on Water

This week's edition of the VCReporter provides a local perspective on water. The feature article, H2O Redefined speaks of climate change and the growing threat of privatization of water supplies. It also includes a plug for Watershed Revolution.






Other headlines in this issue include:

Ventura_Eyes_State_Water_Sale

New_Ventura_County_Storm_Water_Permit_Good_for_Environment_Bad_for_Development

Thirsty_Street_Trees_Need_a_Drink_of_Water_and_Some_Love_from_Neighbors

Unfortunately, the writers failed to connect the dots on these issues. Interestingly, the most relevant analysis in this issue is embedded in the editor's note:

Rethinking Water Consumption

Here the editor makes a good case for greywater, and includes a link to www.graywater.org/

Although the future of cheap permitted gray water systems in the state of California appears to be a way’s away, for those who understand the importance of conservation and our severe drought situation, gray water is the future. We need to take it upon ourselves to start advocating for new ways to save our most precious natural resource.

Indeed, this was one of the most tangible actions outlined in the 2050-plan-for-post-peak-oil-ventura. Widespread implementation of greywater would reduce the burden on our wastewater treatment plant, offset overdraft of our river and aquifers, and temper the waste of once-used water that has been treated to drinking standards. It would also create hundreds of 'green collar' jobs that would directly address our need to adapt to climate change (almost 20% of California's energy demand is in transporting and treating water.) The only thing stopping us is bureacratic inertia and overzealous regulations combined with misdirected incentives that continue to focus on centralized infrastructure.