75E - PH - WATER MANAGEMENT PLAN

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2015 URBAN WATER MANAGEMENT PLAN • Increased temperatures are projected across the Colorado River Basin with larger changes in the Upper Basin than in the Lower Basin. Annual Basin -wide average temperature is projected to increase by 1.3 degrees Celsius over the period through 2040. Projected seasonal trends toward drying are significant in certain regions. A general trend towards drying is present in the Colorado River Basin, although increases in precipitation are projected for some higher elevation and hydrologically productive regions. Consistent and expansive drying conditions are projected for the spring and summer months throughout the Colorado River Basin, although some areas in the Lower Basin are projected to experience slight increases in precipitation, which is thought to be attributed to monsoonal influence in the region. Upper Basin precipitation is projected to increase in the fall and winter, and Lower Basin precipitation is projected to decrease. Snowpack is projected to decrease due to precipitation falling as rain rather than snow and warmer temperatures melting the snowpack earlier. Areas where precipitation does not change or increase is projected to have decreased snowpack in the fall and early winter. Substantial decreases in spring snowpack are projected to be widespread due to earlier melt or sublimation of snowpack. • Runoff (both direct and base flow) is spatially diverse, but is generally projected to decrease, except in the northern Rockies. Runoff is projected to increase significantly in the higher elevation Upper Basin during winter but is projected to decrease during spring and summer. The following future actions must be taken to implement solutions and help resolve the imbalance between water supply and demand in areas that use Colorado River water (U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Reclamation, Colorado River Basin Water Supply and Demand Study, December 2012): • Resolution of significant uncertainties related to water conservation, reuse, water banking, and weather modification concepts. • Costs, permitting issues, and energy availability issues relating to large- capacity augmentation projects need to be identified and investigated. • Opportunities to advance and improve the resolution of future climate projections should be pursued. • Consideration should be given to projects, policies, and programs that provide a wide -range of benefits to water users and healthy rivers for all users. 3.2.2 State Water Project Supplies The SWP consists of a series of pump stations, reservoirs, aqueducts, tunnels, and power plants operated by DW R and is an integral part of the effort to ensure that business and industry, urban and suburban residents, and farmers throughout much of California have sufficient water. The SWP is the largest state - built, multipurpose, user - financed water project in the United States. Nearly two - thirds of residents in California receive at least part of their water from the SWP with approximately 70 percent of SWP's contracted water supply going to urban users and 30 percent to agricultural users. The primary purpose of the SWP is to divert and store water during wet periods in Northern and Central California and distribute it to areas of need in Northern California, the San Francisco Bay area, the San Joaquin Valley, the Central Coast, and southern California. arcadis.com 75E-38 3 -4