Changing tides in Santa Cruz water management seek to support fish populations in the San Lorenzo – Lookout Santa Cruz

Report on Santa Cruz Water Management and Sustainable Development Goal Alignment

1.0 Introduction

The City of Santa Cruz Water Department is implementing a revised water management strategy to address the dual challenges of ensuring a stable water supply for its residents and restoring critical habitats for endangered fish species. This initiative, the result of 25 years of planning, directly aligns with several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), primarily focusing on water sanitation, biodiversity, and climate action. The plan retools water regulations to create a sustainable balance between human consumption and ecological needs, particularly for the San Lorenzo River watershed.

2.0 Environmental Context and SDG Imperatives

The San Lorenzo River, historically a significant fishery, has experienced a severe decline in native fish populations. This environmental degradation highlights the urgent need for action in line with global sustainability targets.

• SDG 14 (Life Below Water) & SDG 15 (Life on Land): Coho salmon are now listed as endangered and steelhead trout as threatened. Human activities, including pollution, logging-induced erosion, and warming waters, have rendered freshwater habitats uninhabitable, pushing Coho salmon towards local extirpation. This represents a significant loss of biodiversity in freshwater ecosystems.
• SDG 13 (Climate Action): Shifting climate patterns have altered rainfall, concentrating it into shorter, more intense periods. This reduces soil saturation and causes rivers to dry up earlier in the year, directly impacting fish spawning cycles and water availability. The new water plan serves as a critical climate adaptation strategy.
• SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation): The city’s heavy reliance on surface water (96% of its supply, with 61% from the San Lorenzo River) places direct pressure on these ecosystems. The challenge is to manage this resource sustainably, in line with Target 6.6, which calls for the protection and restoration of water-related ecosystems.

3.0 Strategic Plan for Sustainable Water Management

The new plan introduces a multi-faceted approach to water resource management, integrating conservation, infrastructure development, and regional cooperation to achieve sustainability goals.

1. Revised Water Rights and Extraction Limits: The city will reduce water extraction from rivers based on dynamic conditions, including the time of year, river flow levels, and the life cycles of fish. This measure is fundamental to achieving SDG 6 by leaving more water in flowing sources to support ecosystem health.
2. Development of Alternative Water Sources: To compensate for reduced river extraction without compromising public supply, the plan focuses on building resilience.
   • Aquifer Storage: The city will store surplus water in underground wells during rainy months for later use. Four such wells are planned by 2029, enhancing water security and contributing to SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) by creating resilient infrastructure.
   • Inter-District Cooperation: New pipeline interties will connect Santa Cruz with the Scotts Valley and Soquel Creek water districts. This infrastructure facilitates water sharing during emergencies and regular operations, exemplifying SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals) by fostering regional collaboration for water resource management.
3. Long-Term Habitat Restoration: A separate but related commitment of $37 million is allocated for salmon habitat restoration and monitoring over the next three decades, directly advancing the objectives of SDG 14 and SDG 15.

4.0 Implementation and Resource Allocation

The successful execution of this plan relies on significant investment and inter-agency coordination.

• Aquifer Retrofitting: Each of the four planned storage wells is projected to cost $6 million, funded by ratepayers.
• Intertie Construction: The pipeline connecting Santa Cruz and Scotts Valley is funded by a $6.5 million state grant and is expected to be completed in 2026.
• Regulatory Framework: The plan required extensive negotiation with the State Water Resources Control Board to update water rights that had not been revised in 50 years, ensuring they reflect current climate realities and ecological priorities.

5.0 Conclusion

The Santa Cruz Water Department’s new strategy represents a comprehensive effort to manage water resources in a manner that supports both urban populations and the natural environment. By integrating revised regulations with new infrastructure for water storage and sharing, the city is taking decisive steps to advance multiple Sustainable Development Goals. This initiative serves as a model for how local governments can address the interconnected challenges of climate change, biodiversity loss, and urban water security, creating a more resilient and sustainable future for both people and ecosystems.

Analysis of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation: The article focuses on the sustainable management of water resources in Santa Cruz. It details plans to retool water regulations, build new infrastructure for water storage, and ensure a stable water supply for residents while balancing environmental needs.
• SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities: The efforts described are undertaken by the City of Santa Cruz Water Department to build “sustainability in Santa Cruz’s water systems.” The development of new infrastructure like storage wells and inter-district pipelines (interties) aims to make the community’s water supply more resilient to challenges like drought and climate change.
• SDG 13: Climate Action: The article explicitly links the need for new water management strategies to climate change. It notes that “shifts in climate have changed the picture,” causing annual rainfall to become concentrated in shorter bursts, which leads to rivers drying up more quickly. The new plan is an adaptive measure to strengthen resilience to these climate-related impacts.
• SDG 14: Life Below Water: A primary driver for the new regulations is the protection of aquatic life. The article highlights the severe decline of coho salmon and steelhead trout populations in the San Lorenzo River and states that the new rules aim to “improve habitats for fish” and help them “survive and thrive.”
• SDG 15: Life on Land: This goal is relevant as it pertains to the protection and restoration of inland freshwater ecosystems. The San Lorenzo River is a freshwater ecosystem whose health is critical for the survival of the mentioned fish species. The plan’s goal to leave more water in the river directly supports the conservation and restoration of this habitat and aims to halt the biodiversity loss of threatened species within it.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

1. Target 6.4: By 2030, substantially increase water-use efficiency across all sectors and ensure sustainable withdrawals and supply of freshwater to address water scarcity.
   • The article describes a new plan that “sets limits on the water that can be taken based on the time of year, the amount of water in rivers and the life cycle of fish species.” This is a direct effort to ensure sustainable withdrawals from the San Lorenzo River.
2. Target 6.5: By 2030, implement integrated water resources management at all levels, including through transboundary cooperation as appropriate.
   • The plan for Santa Cruz to “share water with other water districts, like Scotts Valley and Soquel Creek, via interties” is a clear example of implementing integrated water resources management at a regional level.
3. Target 13.1: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries.
   • The article explains that changing weather patterns due to climate change necessitate a new approach. The plan to store surplus water in aquifers during rainy months and draw from them during droughts is a strategy to build resilience and adapt to climate-induced water variability.
4. Target 15.1: By 2020, ensure the conservation, restoration and sustainable use of terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems and their services.
   • The entire initiative is centered on restoring the San Lorenzo River, an inland freshwater ecosystem, to support fish populations. The article mentions “$37 million worth of separate salmon habitat restoration and monitoring work planned over the next three decades.”
5. Target 15.5: Take urgent and significant action to reduce the degradation of natural habitats, halt the loss of biodiversity and, by 2020, protect and prevent the extinction of threatened species.
   • The project is a direct response to the fact that “salmon are listed as endangered and steelhead are threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act.” The new water rules are designed to protect these specific threatened species by improving their habitat.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

• Population counts of threatened species: The article’s central goal is to “reestablish fish.” An increase in the populations of coho salmon and steelhead trout in the San Lorenzo River would be a direct indicator of success in protecting threatened species (Target 15.5).
• Water levels in rivers and streams: The new regulations are based on “the amount of water in rivers.” Monitoring river flow rates and water levels, especially during dry seasons, would serve as an indicator of whether the plan is successfully leaving more water for fish habitats (Target 6.4).
• Amount of water withdrawn from surface sources: A key part of the plan is that “the city will be allowed to pull less water from streams and rivers.” Tracking the volume of water extracted from the San Lorenzo River against the new, stricter limits would measure progress towards sustainable water withdrawal (Target 6.4).
• Water storage and sharing capacity: The article mentions specific infrastructure goals, such as having “four storage wells working by the end of 2029” and completing a pipeline to connect with the Scotts Valley water system by 2026. The operational status and the volume of water stored in these wells or shared through these interties are quantifiable indicators of progress in integrated water management and climate adaptation (Targets 6.5 and 13.1).
• Conservation status of species: The article notes the current status of the fish under the Endangered Species Act. A long-term indicator of success would be an improvement in this official conservation status (e.g., moving from “endangered” to “threatened”), which is directly related to the Red List Index (Indicator 15.5.1).

4. SDGs, Targets, and Indicators Table

Source: lookout.co