CADIZ%20VALLEY%20WATER%20CONSERVATION,%20RECOVERY%20AND%20STORAGE%20PROJECT%20ENVIRONMENTAL%20REVIEW%20Urban%20Water%20Institute%202014%20Conference%20February%2019,%202014%20Leslie%20Moulton,%20Senior%20Vice%20Project,%20ESA

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CADIZ VALLEY WATER CONSERVATION, RECOVERY AND
STORAGE PROJECTENVIRONMENTAL REVIEWUrban Water
Institute 2014 ConferenceFebruary 19,
2014Leslie Moulton, Senior Vice Project, ESA
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Key Environmental Considerations for Cadiz
Project

• Effective Groundwater Management
• Project operations designed to avoid significant
  impacts
• Groundwater Management, Monitoring and Mitigation
  Plan (GMMMP) provides rigorous oversight of
  project operations
• Reducing Reliance on Imported Water
• State policies on water, energy, and
  environmental management all highlight reduced
  water imports

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Effective Groundwater Management
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Project Location
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Fenner, Bristol, and Cadiz Watersheds

• 2,700 square mile closed watersheds
• Water drains from Fenner Valley to Bristol and
  Cadiz Dry Lakes
• Groundwater basin holds 17-34 million acre feet
  (MAF) of water in storage
• Groundwater flows through Fenner Gap where it
  merges with brackish groundwater and evaporates
  from dry lakes

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How It Works
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brine
fresh water
Conceptual Cross Section Showing Groundwater Flow
brine
fresh water
brine
fresh water
brine
fresh water
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Groundwater Modeling

• USGS Groundwater models were used
• INFIL3.0
• MODFLOW
• CH2MHill and Geosciences conducted modeling
  efforts
• EIR evaluates a broad range of groundwater
  recharge estimates to assess potential effects of
  lower-than-expected natural recharge
• 32,000 AFY
• 16,000 AFY
• 5,000 AFY

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Groundwater Impact Analysis

• EIR evaluated effects of groundwater drawdown to
  
• Third party wells
• Saline water migration
• Subsidence
• Springs
• Vegetation
• Dust generation

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Model-Predicted Regional Drawdown
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Model-Predicted Regional Drawdown

• 80 ft drawdown after 50 years, centered on
  wellfield / Cadiz property
• GMMMP establishes 80 foot drawdown as floor
• 20-ft drawdown occurs
• 5 miles north
• 15 miles west
• 5 miles south
• Essex 16 mi north
• Goffs 33 mi north

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Key Groundwater Impact Issues Addressed

• Third-party well impacts from drawdown
• None identified within area of significant
  drawdown
• GMMMMP includes
• County set 80-foot drawdown floor
• Deepen or replace wells
• Third-party well impacts from saline migration
• None identified within area of predicted saline
  migration
• GMMMP includes
• Replace/relocate wells
• Modify proposed Project operation
• Subsidence
• Model-predicted findings indicate no significant
  impact to aquifer storage capacity or railroad
  tolerance levels
• GMMMP includes monitoring and operation
  modification

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Springs

• Occur in higher elevations and are fed from above
• Are not hydrologically connected to alluvial
  aquifer
• Nearest spring Bonanza is 11 miles north
• No impacts to Springs would occur
• GMMMP includes monitoring and response protocol
  to ensure Project does not affect springs
• Periodic visual, non-invasive monitoring of
  spring flows at Bonanza, Whiskey, and Vontrigger
  Springs
• Quarterly monitoring of Bonanza Spring as an
  indicator spring

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Dust and Vegetation Concerns

• Potential for Dust Emissions from Dry Lakes
• Studies conducted to evaluate potential for
  groundwater drawdown to result in dust emissions
  off the Dry Lakes
• Studies conclude that surface soils on Dry Lakes
  are not susceptible to wind erosion due to soil
  chemistry that results in crusting
• Desert Vegetation
• Existing depth to groundwater well below plant
  roots
• Where groundwater approaches surface elevation at
  the Dry Lakes, it is highly saline and no
  vegetation exists on the ground surface

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Cadiz Groundwater Management, Monitoring and
Mitigation Plan

• Defines authority and menu of corrective actions
  that ultimately can reduce or stop Project
  pumping
• Both SMWD and the County have authority to
  implement corrective actions and stop pumping
• Sets pump floor of 80 feet below existing
  groundwater levels to be conservative (EIR
  evaluates up to 270 feet)
• Adopted as part of County MOU approval and as
  part of CEQA Mitigation program

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Cadiz GMMMP

• Critical Resources Monitored by GMMMP
• Groundwater Aquifer
• Natural Springs
• Brine Resources
• Air Quality / Dust
• Vegetation
• Adjacent Watersheds
• Monitoring Features
• Groundwater Monitoring Wells (water levels and
  quality)
• Springs Observations
• Land Subsidence Extensometers
• Dust Monitoring Nephelometers

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Cadiz GMMMP continued

• Impact Avoidance Measures
• Action Criteria clearly established for each
  resource and potential impact
• set below impact significance threshold
• Decision Making Process defined when action
  criteria are triggered
• Corrective Measures clearly outlined to avoid
  significant impacts

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Effective Groundwater Management

• Baseline condition information collected
• Modeling tools tailored to this aquifer
• Validated and ready for active use and refinement
• Project designed to avoid/minimize impacts
• GMMMP provides for rigorous oversight of project
  operations and response if needed, including stop
  pumping
• New Era Cadiz Project will operate under new,
  higher standards set for effective groundwater
  management

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Reduce Reliance on Water Imports

• Insert graphic with SWP and CRA and LAA showing
  imported water sources

Cadiz Project Water is Local to Southern
California
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Cadiz Project Key Objectives

• Maximize beneficial uses of groundwater in the
  Fenner, Bristol, and Cadiz Valleys
• Save substantial quantities of water that are
  presently wasted and lost to evaporation
• Improve water supply reliability for Southern
  California Project Participants
• Reduce Southern California dependence on water
  imported from the Colorado River and Sacramento
  River Delta

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Project Description

• Phase I Groundwater Conservation and Recovery
  Component (project level EIR review)
• 50,000 AFY average annual groundwater captured
  before it evaporates delivered to participating
  water suppliers within the southern California
  region
• Wellfield network of wells
• 43-mile pipeline to Colorado River Aqueduct (CRA)
• Groundwater Management, Monitoring, and
  Mitigation Plan (GMMMP) guides project operations
• Phase II Imported Water Storage Component
  (program level EIR review)
• Potential future project element
• Not under consideration for approval now

• PROJECT PARTICIPANTS
• SMWD
• Three Valleys Municipal Water District
• Golden State Water Company
• Suburban Water Systems
• Jurupa Community Services District
• Arizona and Calirfornia Railroad Company

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Project Location
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• PROJECT PARTICIPANTS
• Santa Margarita Water District (CEQA Lead Agency)
• Three Valleys Municipal Water District
• Golden State Water Company
• Suburban Water Systems
• Jurupa Community Services District
• California Water Service Company
• Arizona and California Railroad Company
• PROJECT OPERATOR
• Fenner Valley Mutual Water Company

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Geographic Context of Project Assessment
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Project Participants
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Regional Monitoring Facilities (Wells,
Nephelometer Station)
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EIR Process

• PUBLIC SCOPING Notice of Preparation
• 30-day public review (through March 30, 2011)
• Public scoping meetings (March 16 and 24, 2011)
• DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT
• Notice of Availability of Draft EIR Posted
  (December 5, 2011)
• 70-day public review (through February 13, 2012)
• Community Workshop (January 11, 2012)
• Public Meetings (January 24, 2012 and February 1,
  2012)
• RESPONSE TO COMMENTS/FINAL EIR
• CERTIFICATION of FINAL EIR