CNAS

Australia

David Dreverman, Executive Director, River Murray at the Murray-Darling Basin Authority

"Responding to extreme drought in the Murray-Darling basin, Australia"

Inflows into some rivers of the Murray-Darling Basin in 2006, particularly the Murray (whose waters are shared by three states), were at record low levels. Special water-sharing arrangements were developed for approval of First Ministers of relevant governments. Inflows in 2007, 2008, and into 2009 required extensive adaptation of dry inflow contingency planning to ensure that critical human water needs could be met in successive years. This chapter will review the lessons learned in implementing a comprehensive response to critical water shortage over three years of extreme drought.

California

John V. Rossi, General Manager, Western Municipal Water District

"Potential political impacts in Southern California of drought related water availability and rate increases"

The state of California is in a third year of a drought. Further restricts have resulted from a 2007 federal court order. U.S. District Court Judge Oliver Wanger order reductions in the deliveries of water from the Sacramento Delta to Bay Area, Central, and Southern California agencies. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and water agency officials predicted that the decision would ravage California’s water supplies and the state’s economy. The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD) focused its twenty six member agencies on deciding how to apportion the resulting water supply shortage in 2009. The process of getting to a consensus on how to allocate the shortage highlighted the differences in local supply sources and related supply reliabilities. Ultimately, MWD enacted a 20% supply reduction from a 2004-2006 baseline period. A comparison of shortage allocation methodologies by member agencies and the related rate increase actions provides insight into the challenges agencies will face until imported water supply reliability is improved. This chapter will review recent price increases and allocation altering policies and how water agencies have taken them into account when creating their water portfolio mix, on initiation of new water projects, including recycling, water use efficiency, storm water capture, and groundwater desalination and clean up.

Mexico

Sergio Soto-Priante, Deputy Director General for Hydraulic Infrastructure for Agriculture National Water Commission

"Hydrological cycles management to reduce the effects of drought in the Bravo River basin" 

Mexico’s weather pattern has clearly defined wet and dry seasons. This has made it possible to carry out strategic drought management, preparing for drought periods during wet periods, thus reducing water shortages and its effects. Knowledge of hydrological cycles makes it possible to set goals, plan public policies, invest in infrastructure, and implement government programs. This in turn allows sustainable rates of development and sustainable management of basins and aquifers. The Bravo River Basin is located in a desert in the north of Mexico, along the border with the U.S. This basin is one of the major agricultural regions in Mexico. Its hydrologic features and economic importance make it necessary to develop a strategic plan for hydrological cycles management. In the upper Bravo River basin, the drought control program includes: modernization and technical improvement of the water distribution network and irrigation systems, real time irrigation forecast, better sowing and harvest practices, introduction of “low water demand” crops, separation of low productive lands and new urban lands, and adequate dam administration. The program was launched in 2002 and lasted until 2007. This chapter will review the different features of the program, its implementation, and its performance.

Spain

Miguel Ángel García-Vera, Ebro Basin Authority (Confederación Hidrográfica del Ebro)

"Water scarcity management in Spain: Case study Ebro River basin"

“When there are problems of resource availability is when the management of resources falls under scrutiny." This sentence is fully compelling with respect to the management of water scarcity. In Spain we have a large temporal variation in the availability of water resources, which generates frequent drought episodes. Developments such as climate change or the increase in environmental water demand, amplify further the resource scarcity for traditional water uses. The management of extreme events such as droughts requires the existence of hydrological planning based on: i) management at basin level; ii) solid institutions in place; iii) best possible knowledge; iv) public participation; and v) co-responsibility in decision making of all concerned stakeholders. This paper presents the main strategies that are carried out in a Spanish basin, the Ebro basin covering 85,000 km², for the necessary decisions in water scarcity situations.