Groundwater and Well Monitoring

Transcription

1 Groundwater and Well Monitoring With Limited Groundwater Supplies, How Do We Manage Our Resource Sustainably? Wine Country Water Summit Sonoma Mountain Village, Rohnert Park CA July 16, 2009 Timothy K. Parker, PG, CEG, CHG PARKER GROUNDWATER

2 Acknowledgements US Geological Survey for images California Department of Water Resources for images Groundwater Resources of California for images Sonoma County Water Agency, my client, for their overall vision, and for input on this presentation

3 Harold E. Thomas USGS Hydrologist The science of hydrology would be relatively simple if water were unable to penetrate below the Earth s s surface

4 Presentation Outline Groundwater Hydrology Groundwater Management and Well Monitoring Sonoma Valley Example

5 Hydrologic (Water) Cycle DWR Bulletin 118, 2003

6 Types of Aquifers DWR Bulletin 118, 2003

7 Groundwater Movement USS Circular 1139

8 Groundwater Movement and Pumping USS Circular 1186

9 The Groundwater Account Checking account - unknown amount of funds No problem with withdrawals until a notice comes Some people are not believers and ignore Some people are believers and increase withdrawals Nobody knows how much is coming in or going out Everyone claims a right but no one can agree as to who gets what No one in charge but everyone wants to withdraw So it goes with a checking account, except that the money will run out a groundwater basin will not actually run out of water, but it will be too deep or the quality will be degraded Is this the way you would want to manage your money?

10 What is Tragedy of the Commons? Unlimited access to a natural resource, in which everybody can use the resource but no one is responsible for managing the resource* Result is that each party contributes by acting in their personal interest, benefiting and maximizing their use of the resource, contributing to the depletion of the resource, while the full costs of the increased use of the resource are shared with others* These resources which are used in common are considered common-pool resources* * Garrett Hardin, The Tragedy of the Commons Sci When the war came to Monterey and to Cannery Row everybody fought it more or less, in one way or another..the canneries themselves fought the war by getting the limit taken off fish and catching them all. John Steinbeck, Sweet Thursday.

11 Groundwater Management PRO Ensure long-term viability of groundwater Maintain water quality Prevent depletion and stabilize levels Ensure safe drinking water Meet existing and future water demands Diversify supply through conjunctive use Stakeholders decide/agree on groundwater management and maintain local control Coordinate with and support restoration Sustain groundwater quantity and quality for future generations through groundwater management Increased opportunity for state funding for water projects. CON Possible permanent damage to aquifer Groundwater quality degradation Declining basin groundwater levels over time Increased water treatment costs Drilling deeper wells at greater expense Potential land subsidence Potential legal battles or adjudication for management control Decreased surface water flows Uncertain quality and quantity of groundwater in the future without groundwater management Increased pumping costs 11

12 Management Options California Groundwater Management GRA 2005 Groundwater Management Plans (AB3030) Voluntary Incentive based Highly successful Adjudication Courts decide Special Act Districts County Ordinance Restrictions

13 What is a Groundwater Management Plan? A document that provides a framework to implement a groundwater management strategy for a basin or a portion of a basin Simple or complicated, short or long Reaches general agreement among groundwater users, stakeholders, local government and other parties interested in the basin A sound document that reflects the goals and objectives of the people who live, work and hold interests in the basin Lead Agency Goals, objectives and management actions MONITORING protocols and program Public involvement plan and documentation Basin description Reporting & review schedule

14 Monitoring Your Basin Time to set up monitoring plan is when management plan is formulated Minimum = groundwater levels and quality Other data include streamflow and quality, pumping data or estimates Determine wells to monitor and frequency Plan your database

15 Water Level Data Intended Data Use Days Month s Aquifer Hydraulic Properties GW Flow Direction Years Short-Term s Storage, Recharge Decades Long-Term s Storage, Recharge Climate Change and Variability Regional Effects of GW Development Statistical Analysis of Trends Changes in Flow Direction GW-Surface Water Interaction Computer Modeling 15

16 Why Monitor? Monitoring means observing, measuring, recording, and reporting Need basic information about how the basin works to manage it Collect and analyze data Groundwater levels Water quality Extractions (pumpage( pumpage) Subsidence

17 Issues and Legal Considerations Privacy and private property Pumpage Land owner right to install well and extract No legal requirement for reporting Legal battles have revolved around extraction amounts Race to the Pump House

18 Technology Requirements Depends upon: What you need the information for Scale of study Complexity of basin Level of development of the basin

19 Monitoring Groundwater Levels Regular network of production wells Dedicated monitoring wells to give depth- specific data At least spring and fall monitoring (high and low water levels) Continuous-reading logger in critical areas Consistency is important

20 Groundwater Levels 10N/35W-9F1 Water Levels, TD 198' 90 Ground Surface WLE Jan-30 Jan-40 Jan-50 Jan-60 Jan-70 Jan-80 Jan-90 Jan-00

21 Alexander Valley Study Area Completed 2006 Santa Rosa Valley Study Area Initiated 2005 Sonoma Valley Groundwater Management Program Sonoma Valley Study Area Completed 2006 Sonoma County Water Agency (SCWA) Water Transmission System Petaluma Valley Study Area

22 Agency/USGS Sonoma Valley Groundwater Study Key Findings: Increased pumping between (6,000 to 8,500 acre-ft/year) Localized decline of groundwater levels 17,000 acre-ft decline groundwater storage Salinity issues in southern part of Valley Numerical Model - Evaluate data gaps & simulate future conditions

23 Overview of Sonoma Valley Groundwater Management Program Convened Stakeholder Group in June 2006 Agricultural alliances, environmental organizations, water purveyors, and residential groundwater users Groundwater Management Plan Adopted by Sonoma County Water Agency, City of Sonoma & Valley of the Moon Water District in Late 2007 Non-Regulatory and Collaborative Process Letters of Support and Endorsement received from Mission Highlands Mutual Water Company, Sonoma County Water Coalition, Sonoma Ecology Center, and the Sonoma Valley Vintners & Growers Alliance First Year of Implementation completed in 2008

24 Sonoma Valley Groundwater Management Program Component Actions The goal of the Plan is to locally manage, protect, and enhance groundwater resources for all beneficial uses, in a sustainable, environmentally sound, economical, and equitable manner for generations to come. Stakeholder Involvement Monitoring Program Groundwater Resource Protection Groundwater Sustainability Planning Integration 24

25 Sonoma Valley Groundwater Management Program Accomplishments New stream gage Grant for wells and recharge mapping $250K Grant for water use audits and conservation $25K Collaborative groundwater age-dating study Progress on recharge approach Monitoring program increased monitoring coverage spatially and by

26 2008 Volunteer Groundwater-Level Monitoring Program Added over 40 volunteer wells into the program in 2008 (nearly doubling the number of measurements) Coordinated/synchronized monitoring (nearly 100 wells) on semi-annual basis Developed a Sampling and Analysis Plan Developed Web-based based data management system (WEBH2O) Prioritizing areas where data gaps still exist

27 Existing Vineyard Practices Drip irrigation to minimize water usage Collect rainwater through sheet flow reservoirs for water recharging Practice water conservation and recycling Recycled water for irrigation Exercise natural farming solutions to keep water and the environment cleaner Integrated Pest Management Cover crops attract beneficial insects to reduce or eliminate the need for pesticides while replenishing soils naturally with organic matter Slow the sheet flow down, reducing sediment production, and increasing recharge on-site Minimize pesticide application for water quality protection and sustainability

28 Private Ranch with engineered swale To slow downhill sheetflow Rooftop rainwater capture routed into two parallel 4-foot deep infiltration wells Atwood Ranch Private Ranch with drainage ditch to capture hilltop water and divert downhill to pond

29 Opportunity: Conjunctive Management The coordinated and planned management of surface water and groundwater supplies to maximize the efficient use of resources Has been practiced for decades in California Proven cost effective technique for for increasing water supplies

30 Closing/Acknowledgements SONOMA VALLEY BASIN ADVISORY PANEL/ TECHNICAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE Milenka Bates,, City of Sonoma Mark Bramfitt,, SVCAC and VOMWD Al Bandur, VOMWD Krishna Kumar,, Valley of the Moon Water District Jay Jasperse,, SCWA David Goodison,, City of Sonoma Pete Parkinson,, PRMD Bill Keene, Open Space District John Robb,, Mission Highlands Water Company Mark Nordberg, DWR Tasmin Eusuff, DWR Vicki Hill, Resident James Cannard, Resident Rochelle Campana, Resident Ed Nelson, Resident Clarence Jenkins, Madrone Vineyard Management Tito Sasaki, North Bay Agricultural Alliance John MacLeod,, MacLeod Family Vineyard Ned Hill,, Vintners & Growers Alliance Norm Goldstein,, Vintners & Growers Alliance Vickie Mulas, Mulas Dairy Maggie Salenger-Haywood, Resident & Grower Nicki DiMattei, Focus4 Kathy Pons,, Valley of the Moon Alliance Katherine Culligan, West Valley Alliance Lisa Micheli, Sonoma Ecology Center John Guardino,, Southern Sonoma RCD Susan Haydon, Southern Sonoma RCD Leandra Swent,, Southern Sonoma RCD

31 Summary Groundwater resources are limited Groundwater can be managed sustainably Requires a number of technical and stakeholder-based efforts including monitoring Local and non-regulatory approaches can be effective and are desirable in most cases There are lots of choices to control your destiny locally

32 References End - Questions? Sonoma Valley Groundwater Management Program California Groundwater Management, GRA, US Geological Survey pubs.er.usgs.gov/usgspubs/ Circular 1247 Evolving Issues and Practices in Groundwater Resources Management Circular 1217 Groundwater Monitoring and the Importance of Long-Term Monitoring Data Circular 1186 Sustainability of Groundwater Resources Circular 1139 Groundwater&Surface Water A Single Resource American Ground Water Trust Tim Parker, PARKER GROUNDWATER tim@pg-tim.com tim.com