Browsing by Subject "Water policy"

Now showing 1 - 6 of 6

A techno-economic and policy analysis of integrated, cross-sectoral water management and conservation
(2018-10-12) Cook, Margaret Allison; Webber, Michael E., 1971-; Lawler, Desmond; McKinney, Daene; Olmstead, Sheila; Passalacqua, Paola
Increasing demands on water resources from growing populations and industries coupled with periodic, yet severe, drought have revealed vulnerabilities in water supplies around the world. However, in some locations, partnerships between water rights holders (such as the agricultural sector) and those with water needs and available capital (such as the energy sector) could improve water efficiency. A market with cross-sectoral participation that creates incentives for reduction of fresh water consumption could improve water availability for many stakeholders. This work lays out the methodology of evaluating these hypotheses with an original water and cost model that is developed and demonstrated using three case studies in the Lower Rio Grande Basin, the Brazos River Basin, and the Permian Basin in Texas with the intent that the findings would be generally applicable to other regions. This work uses an integrated, geographically resolved allocation model to evaluate water market participants and management strategies that could be implemented to encourage water demand reductions to supply new water users. Best practices are evaluated for increasing water availability through market mechanisms based on costs, benefits, and technological viability. The work closes with a discussion of regional variations to this integrated approach. Results of this analysis show that, in the Rio Grande Basin, up to 900 million gallons per year could be made available through 15% water conservation in irrigation areas. The water would supply approximately 30% of the annual hydraulic fracturing demand for 2016 and 2017 in the area. Reductions would also improve reliability for irrigators. In the Brazos Basin, results show that low-cost conservation scenarios could lead to savings of up to 4.1 billion gallons of water per year with mixed effects on reliability and resilience in the basin. The price paid for water used in oil and gas operations would not offset conservation strategies in every scenario, but agriculture and some municipal strategies are available. In the Permian Basin in West Texas, results show that a market heavily reliant on centrally treated flowback and produced water would reduce water management costs and offset approximately 9 billion gallons of fresh water consumption annually. These transactions show that water could be provided without increasing total supplies through the combination of consumptive water conservation strategies and market mechanisms. Third party effects and transaction costs need to be fully evaluated, though. Moreover, spurring these saved water transactions might require incentives at the regional or state level.
Dividing the water at Fort Quitman : a discussion of binational allocation and dynamic treaty interpretations
(2016-05) Henley, Marion Hope; Eaton, David J.; Rubinstein, Carlos; Niemeyer, Steve
This report discusses the binational water allocation of the Rio Grande between the United States (U.S.) and Mexico. The International Boundary and Water Commission, United States and Mexico (IBWC) is charged with the administration and enforcement of treaties and other international agreements governing this watercourse, including but not limited to the Convention of 1906 and the Treaty of 1944. These two treaties establish an upper and lower segment of the Rio Grande. The 1906 Convention allocates water to Mexico and the U.S. in the transboundary segment from El Paso to Fort Quitman, about 90 miles away. The 1944 Treaty governs the watercourse from Fort Quitman to the Gulf of Mexico. Water allocation at Fort Quitman is indefinite in these treaties because the location represents a “terminus” point of the two segments. A plain-language interpretation of the treaties indicates the flows reaching this gage actually belong 100 percent to U.S., and therefore to Texas water rights holders, due to a waiver of rights by Mexico in the 1906 Convention for all flows in the upper segment. However, the established practice of the IBWC since the 1950s is to allocate those waters equally between Mexico and the U.S. (“50/50”). Research into IBWC materials reveals that this 50/50 allocation practice was established ad-hoc. There is no diplomatic evidence of agreement between the nations to justify the 50/50 allocation. Indeed, the current allocation practice at Fort Quitman contradicts the actual treaty text. The IBWC has not exercised its authority to establish the 50/50 allocation lawfully. Recommendations to remedy the matter include returning all the flows at Fort Quitman to the U.S. and Texas, to mandate the 50/50 practice through legal and diplomatic policy-making mechanisms. Another issue is whether Mexico ought to compensate the U.S. for the 2.1 million acre-feet it has received since the informal water allocation began in 1958 in contradiction to the treaties.
Factors that facilitate cooperative efforts in the management of irrigation water : an assessment of water user associations in the Jordan Valley
(2016-04-25) Altz-Stamm, Amelia Elizabeth; Eaton, David J.; Wilson, Robert H; Olmstead, Sheila; Pierce, Suzanne A; Talozi, Samer A; Molle, Francois
User participation in the management of water resources has garnered much support over the past several decades. Questions remain for its feasibility and suitability as an alternative to state-led management. To examine the circumstances and contexts in which user-based management works well, studies from around the world have determined the kinds of factors related to the physical environment, community, institutions and users that can lead to its success or failure. This dissertation similarly examines Jordan’s experience with water user associations in the Jordan Valley through both qualitative and quantitative research methods. Potential influential factors that facilitate or hinder the performance of and participation in these associations are assessed through the Institutional Analysis and Development (IAD) Framework. Results indicate that institutional factors play a particularly large role in determining the level of farmer satisfaction with the associations, and less so does the adequacy of the water supply. Despite Jordan’s extreme water scarcity, factors unrelated to the water supply have a stronger impact on association performance. For determining membership in the association, user-related factors demonstrate the most significance. Community-related factors remain unquantified but likely influence associations to a large degree. This research adds to the growing literature that identifies important factors and the magnitude of their effects on user management. The IAD framework acts as a useful tool to dissect user management and reveals where policy interventions will be most impactful.
Groundwater management zones for conjunctive water conservation in Hays County and the Hill Country region of Central Texas
(2018-06-25) Norman, Douglas Everett; Lieberknecht, Katherine E.
This report examines a provision of Texas groundwater law granting authority to Groundwater Conservation Districts (GCDs) to create Groundwater Management Zones (GMZs) to address significant differences in hydrogeological conditions or groundwater use in specific areas of an aquifer. The report considers whether these management zones are effective tools for conserving groundwater in order to preserve surface water flows particularly in the Hays Trinity Groundwater Conservation District and, more generally, in the Hill Country region of Central Texas. It presents two case studies of existing GMZs in Barton Springs Edwards Aquifer Conservation District and Hill Country Underground Water Conservation District and insights from interviews with GCD staff involved in establishing and refining these zones. The report then evaluates how effective the zones would be for protecting the Middle Trinity Aquifer in the area around Jacob’s Well Spring and the Cypress Creek Watershed. It concludes by providing a road map and recommendations based on best practices drawn from the findings described above.
A new approach for water planning, management and conflict resolution in Lebanese transboundary basins : hydrologic modeling for climate variation and water policy development
(2013-05) Comair, Georges Fadi; McKinney, Daene C.; Maidment, David; Hodges, Ben; Eaton, David; Scoullos, Michael
The Hasbani and Orontes Rivers are two main transboundary rivers of Lebanon. These waters are a critical resource for the future water security of the co-riparians. This dissertation analyses results of a water resources planning and hydrologic model under a new participatory framework by studying hydro-political aspects and the vulnerability of water resources in the Hasbani basin of Lebanon and the city of Amman under a changing climate pattern and growing water demands. Water policies suggested by the stakeholders were analyzed and the most sustainable solution was presented to the water resources authorities in the basins. Moreover, because of the political situation in the region, field data such as rainfall and evapotranspiration are very difficult to obtain making the use of remote sensing and Geographic Information System very useful to present a complete description of the hydrology of the watersheds and study water availability in the Orontes and Jordan River Basins. The approach used in this research integrates recently compiled data derived from satellite imagery (evapotranspiration, rainfall, and digital elevation model) into a transboundary geospatial database and hydrologic model to measure the contribution of each riparian country to the total available water in the basin. Finally, a mathematical method called the Orontes water allocation optimization method is used based on the nine factors of the UN Convention on the Law of Non-navigational Use of International Water Courses to allocate water equitably between the co-riparians. The optimization results show that Turkey and Lebanon could benefit from additional water if new negotiations are initiated. Once a multilateral agreement occurs, the findings of this research would provide a useful guide to the co-riparians for policy formulation, decision making and dispute resolution. Cooperation between the riparian countries may be improved by building a GIS database that provides access to accurate data for hydrological analysis, facilitate and standardize data sharing to evaluate future policy alternatives.
Saving water in farming : methodology for water conservation verification efforts in the agricultural sector
(2013-05) Ramirez Huerta, Ana Karina; Eaton, David J.
This dissertation develops, tests and validates statistical methods for verifying the amount of water conserved as a result of investments in precision leveling, other on-farm conservation measures in place, weather variation and farmer behavior. This evaluation uses a sample of 328 unique fields from Lakeside Irrigation Division in Texas over a six-year period, totaling 966 observations. Results show that precision leveling accounts for a 0.30 acre-feet reduction of irrigation water per acre leveled. This Mixed-Level Model (MLM) estimate for precision leveling water savings is more precise than the estimates either from an Ordinary Least Square Model or a Fixed Effect Model. A meta analysis combines the results from this model with other similar studies. Although the mean estimate of the meta-analysis is similar to the MLM estimate, the meta-analysis further reduces the standard error of the mean precision leveling estimate by 2 percent. A better approximation of the acre-feet water savings per acre farmed translates into less uncertainty for water regulators, managers and policymakers regarding the volume of conserved water that is available for transfer.