Nope.
Remarkably, DWR’s operational studies suggest that the BDCP’s water supply benefits are mostly in normal and wet years. Supply reliability means the ability of a water resource to provide water in drought conditions. The BDCP mantra about water supply reliability has stood the concept on its head. The missing link: storage. Without it, the BDCP project looks like a new junior priority water resource for California water users. Continue reading
Resource risk management is an important element of Water Security. The changing hydrologic risk on the Colorado River provides a context to address how risk is currently allocated, how it may be reallocated, how we may reduce risk, and how we quantify risk and measure improvements in Water Security. Continue reading
Climate change received added buzz with President Obama’s second inaugural speech on January 21st. Climate change poses at least three issues for water resource management and investment:
For the Colorado River Basin, the issue of changing hydrologic conditions has been alive for decades and steps have already been taken. Judging by the changes in actual hydrologic conditions, the challenge is significant—especially for water users down the priority list of water rights. Continue reading
November 2012 was desalination month in California. The San Diego County Water Authority approved a 30-year agreement with Poseidon Resources to buy up to 56,000 acre feet (AF) per year of desalinated seawater produced from the Carlsbad Desalination Plant. With the annual price tag of water set at $2,041/AF to $2,295/AF (later reduced to $1,917/AF to $2,165/AF when San Diego secured project financing at unexpectedly favorable terms), there is buzz about what the deal says about the value of water. As with any venture, the project also has critics about the cost of water, skeptics about risk allocation, and cynics about the role of a private party. Continue reading