EDWARD RING: Politically viable water supply projects – Maven’s Notebook

Strategic Water Management Solutions for California: Aligning with Sustainable Development Goals

Addressing California’s chronic water scarcity requires a portfolio of infrastructure projects that are both effective and politically viable. Previous efforts, such as the “Water Infrastructure Funding Act,” have faced opposition due to the inclusion of controversial projects. An alternative strategy focuses on a combination of solutions that can collectively eliminate water scarcity while strongly aligning with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), SDG 14 (Life Below Water), and SDG 15 (Life on Land).

Proposed Water Supply Projects for Sustainable Development

1. Delta Channel Dredging for Ecosystem and Water Supply Enhancement

   Restoring the routine dredging of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta channels offers multifaceted benefits. This practice increases the volume and flow capacity of fresh water, directly supporting SDG 6 by allowing more water to be pumped into aqueducts without saltwater intrusion. Furthermore, it advances environmental goals by creating deeper, cooler water channels that are favorable to migratory salmon populations, contributing to SDG 14 (Life Below Water). The recovered silt can be repurposed to enrich agricultural soil and reinforce levees, promoting SDG 15 (Life on Land).

2. Reservoir Sediment Removal for Capacity Restoration

   California’s reservoirs have lost significant storage capacity due to sediment accumulation. Employing innovative, ongoing sediment removal techniques can gradually restore this capacity. This action is a direct investment in the state’s water infrastructure, enhancing water security and resilience in alignment with SDG 6 and SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure).

3. Expansion of Aquifer Recharge Capacity

   Developing large-scale aquifer recharge systems, particularly in the San Joaquin Valley, presents a major opportunity for water storage. By streamlining regulations to facilitate the capture of floodwater in wet years, this initiative would bolster groundwater reserves. This directly supports SDG 6 by securing a critical water buffer and SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) by ensuring a more reliable water supply for agriculture.

4. Enhanced Delta Water Withdrawal Infrastructure

   Constructing new facilities to capture high-volume water flows from the delta during major storm events is a key climate adaptation strategy. This approach allows the state to capitalize on episodic wet periods, which are becoming more common. It advances SDG 13 (Climate Action) by adapting to changing weather patterns and SDG 9 by building resilient infrastructure to secure millions of acre-feet of additional water annually.

5. Small-Scale Seawater and Brackish Water Desalination

   Advances in technology have made smaller, modular desalination plants more cost-effective and energy-efficient. Expanding the network of these facilities provides a climate-independent water source, crucial for coastal communities. This contributes to SDG 6 by diversifying the water portfolio and SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) by enhancing urban water resilience.

6. Optimization of Urban Runoff Harvesting

   Urban stormwater represents a significant and largely untapped water resource. By implementing green infrastructure such as percolation basins and permeable surfaces, cities can capture and reuse runoff to replenish local aquifers. This practice transforms urban areas into active contributors to water supply solutions, directly aligning with the goals of SDG 11 and SDG 6.

7. Increased Urban Wastewater Recycling

   A substantial volume of urban wastewater is currently not reused. Expanding recycling programs can provide a reliable, locally controlled water source while reducing pollution discharged into aquatic ecosystems. This initiative supports SDG 6 by creating a new water supply and protects marine environments from nutrient-rich effluent that causes harmful algae blooms, contributing to SDG 14.

8. Sustainable Forest Management for Increased Water Yield

   Thinning California’s overgrown forests to historical norms can significantly increase water runoff from vital Sierra watersheds. This management practice concurrently reduces the risk of catastrophic wildfires, generates economic activity, and improves ecosystem health. It provides a powerful synergy between SDG 15 (Life on Land), SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), and SDG 6 by adding an estimated 2.2 million acre-feet to the state’s annual water supply.

Projected Annual Water Yield and SDG Impact

The combined potential of these projects represents a substantial increase in California’s water supply, sufficient to achieve long-term water security. The estimated annual gains are as follows:

• Delta Channel Dredging: 1 million acre-feet/year
• Reservoir Sediment Removal: 1 million acre-feet/year
• Aquifer Recharge and Storage: 1 million acre-feet/year
• Increased Delta Withdrawals: 2 million acre-feet/year
• Desalination, Runoff Harvesting, and Wastewater Reuse (Combined): 2 million acre-feet/year
• Forest Thinning: 2 million acre-feet/year

This portfolio could yield a total of 9 million acre-feet of water per year, achieving the objectives of more controversial proposals while building a resilient and sustainable water system in line with global development goals.

Overcoming Barriers to Implementation

A significant barrier to implementing these solutions is the existing regulatory framework, including CEQA review processes, which can render infrastructure development prohibitively expensive and slow. Achieving a consensus to streamline these regulations is critical. Addressing these bureaucratic and legal obstructions is a necessary step to unlock California’s potential for water abundance and fully realize its commitments to the Sustainable Development Goals.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

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

1. SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation

   The entire article is fundamentally about ensuring the availability and sustainable management of water. It directly addresses California’s water scarcity and proposes a variety of solutions to increase the water supply, which aligns with the core objectives of SDG 6.

2. SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure

   The article proposes numerous infrastructure projects to solve water scarcity. These include dredging channels, removing sediment from reservoirs, building new water withdrawal facilities, constructing desalination plants, and developing aquifer recharge capacity. This focus on building and upgrading resilient infrastructure is central to SDG 9.

3. SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

   The article discusses specific urban water management strategies, such as optimizing urban runoff harvesting and increasing urban wastewater recycling. These solutions aim to make cities more sustainable and resilient to water stress, directly connecting to the goals of SDG 11.

4. SDG 14: Life Below Water

   The article touches upon the health of aquatic ecosystems. It mentions that dredging channels would create “deep channels of cool water” to help “migratory salmon populations” thrive. It also notes that reusing urban wastewater would reduce the release of “nitrogen rich effluent that nourishes algae blooms” in San Francisco Bay, addressing marine pollution.

5. SDG 15: Life on Land

   The article connects forest management to water supply, suggesting that thinning overgrown forests would increase Sierra runoff. It also discusses the restoration of freshwater ecosystems in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to benefit salmon populations, which relates to the protection and restoration of terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems.

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

• SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation

  • 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’s primary goal is to “eliminate water scarcity in California” by proposing projects that would add an estimated 9 million acre-feet (MAF) per year to the water supply.
  • Target 6.5: By 2030, implement integrated water resources management at all levels. The article proposes a multifaceted approach combining various water sources and management techniques (surface water, groundwater, desalination, recycling), which is a form of integrated management.
  • Target 6.6: By 2020, protect and restore water-related ecosystems, including mountains, forests, wetlands, rivers, aquifers and lakes. The proposals to dredge the delta to help salmon and thin forests to increase runoff are directly aimed at managing and restoring water-related ecosystems for human and environmental benefit.

• SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure

  • Target 9.1: Develop quality, reliable, sustainable and resilient infrastructure… to support economic development and human well-being. The article advocates for building and upgrading water infrastructure, such as removing sediment to restore reservoir capacity, building new desalination plants, and creating new facilities to withdraw water from the delta.

• SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

  • Target 11.5: By 2030, significantly reduce the number of deaths and the number of people affected and substantially decrease the direct economic losses relative to global gross domestic product caused by disasters, including water-related disasters. The article mentions that dredging the delta would “increase flow capacity,” which would “allow more reservoir storage during winter, because there would be more capacity to drain spring snowmelt without risking floods.” This directly relates to flood mitigation.

• SDG 14: Life Below Water

  • Target 14.1: By 2025, prevent and significantly reduce marine pollution of all kinds, in particular from land-based activities. The article identifies that wastewater treatment plants release “over 400,000 acre feet per year of nitrogen rich effluent that nourishes algae blooms” into the San Francisco Bay. Increasing wastewater reuse would directly reduce this form of marine pollution.

• SDG 15: Life on Land

  • Target 15.1: By 2020, ensure the conservation, restoration and sustainable use of terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems and their services. The article’s proposals to dredge delta channels to improve salmon habitats and to manage forests to increase water runoff are actions aimed at the sustainable use and restoration of these ecosystems.

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

Yes, the article provides several quantitative estimates and specific outcomes that can serve as indicators to measure progress.

• Indicator for Target 6.4 (Water Scarcity): The change in the volume of available freshwater. The article provides specific potential increases:
  • Total potential increase in annual water supply: 9 MAF/year.
  • Increase from dredging delta channels: 1 MAF/year.
  • Increase from removing reservoir sediment: 1 MAF/year.
  • Increase from aquifer recharge: 1 MAF/year.
  • Increase from new delta withdrawal capacity: 2 MAF/year.
  • Increase from combined desal, runoff harvesting, and wastewater reuse: 2 MAF/year.
  • Increase from thinning forests: 2.2 MAF/year.
• Indicator for Target 9.1 (Infrastructure): The change in water storage and production capacity.
  • Increase in reservoir storage capacity by removing sediment (estimated at nearly 2 million acre-feet).
  • Volume of urban stormwater captured and reused (potential ranges from 770,000 to 3.9 million acre-feet).
  • Volume of urban wastewater recycled (potential from approximately 2 million acre-feet per year not currently reused).
• Indicator for Target 14.1 (Marine Pollution): The reduction in nutrient pollution from land-based sources.
  • Volume of nitrogen-rich effluent discharged into San Francisco Bay (currently over 400,000 acre-feet per year). Progress would be measured by the reduction of this discharge.
• Indicator for Targets 6.6 and 15.1 (Ecosystem Health): The health and restoration of specific ecosystems and species.
  • Status of migratory salmon populations in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.
  • Percentage increase in water runoff from forest management (an estimated 9% increase if forest cover is reduced by 40%).

4. Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: mavensnotebook.com