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Conjunctive Surface Water and Groundwater Management

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Conjunctive Surface Water and Groundwater Management CONJUNCTIVE SURFACE WATER AND GROUNDWATER MANAGEMENT: A NEW FRAMEWORK FOR STRATEGIC DECISION-MAKING DISSERTATION Presented to the Graduate College of Texas State University-San Marcos in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of PHILOSOPHY by Susan V. Roberts, M.S. San Marcos, Texas June 1, 2010 CONJUNCTIVE SURFACE WATER AND GROUNDWATER MANAGEMENT: A NEW FRAMEWORK FOR STRATEGIC DECISION-MAKING Committee Members Approved: __________________________________ Walter Rast, Chair __________________________________ Joni S. Charles __________________________________ Vicente L. Lopes __________________________________ Robert E. Mace __________________________________ Walter A. Wright Approved: ____________________________________ J. Michael Willoughby Dean of the Graduate College COPYRIGHT by Susan V. Roberts 2010 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The author would like to acknowledge the support and time-intensive undertaking by the Department of Biology at Texas State University–San Marcos in creating the Aquatic Resources PhD program. The Department’s faculty and staff developed a broad- based program that supports and encourages different research studies in aquatic resources and sciences. The author is grateful to be part of this program. This research owes a debt to the many studies on conjunctive management and interviews with water resource professionals, the results of which have greatly informed this work. As well, this research would not have been possible without the financial aid of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Sustainable Agriculture Water Conservation grant program and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Geography and Water Grant CFDA#66-202. The author appreciates the comments and insights from the grant programs and reviewers. Acknowledgment in great part is due to the advisor and committee faculty, whose reviews and comments were always knowledgeable and focused. The author wishes to thank them for their time and efforts in helping her better understand the impacts of different disciplines on the broader topic of conjunctive water management. In addition, this work would have suffered without the support and encouragement of the author’s family and friends. My heartfelt thanks to you. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1 ....................................................................................................................... 1 INTRODUCTION TO CONJUNCTIVE WATER MANAGEMENT .......................... 1 Introduction ................................................................................................................. 1 Conjunctive Use: “It Depends …” .......................................................................... 2 Development of Conjunctive Use ........................................................................... 3 Purpose and Objectives ............................................................................................... 5 Brief Description of Methods ..................................................................................... 6 Overview of Dissertation Chapters ............................................................................. 9 References ................................................................................................................. 12 CHAPTER 2 ..................................................................................................................... 14 CONJUNCTIVE WATER SYSTEMS, MODELS, AND PARAMETERS ................ 14 Background and Context........................................................................................... 15 Conjunctive Water Systems .................................................................................. 15 Conjunctive Modeling and Optimization ............................................................. 19 Research Methods ..................................................................................................... 21 Results and Discussion ............................................................................................. 23 General Model Information .................................................................................. 23 Water System Parameters and Other Considerations ........................................... 26 Boundaries and Constraints .................................................................................. 28 Conclusions ............................................................................................................... 32 References ................................................................................................................. 35 CHAPTER 3 ..................................................................................................................... 47 RE-VALUING CONJUNCTIVE USE AND ECONOMIC PARAMETERS ............. 47 Introduction ............................................................................................................... 47 Understanding Conjunctive Use ........................................................................... 49 Overview of Surface Water and Groundwater Systems ....................................... 51 Role of Economics ................................................................................................ 53 Benefits and Costs ................................................................................................ 55 Methods..................................................................................................................... 56 Analysis of Economic-Conjunctive Use Parameters ............................................ 57 Results and Discussion ............................................................................................. 58 Model Overview ................................................................................................... 58 Common Parameters ............................................................................................. 60 Parameters Unique to Conjunctive Use ................................................................ 63 Implications for Future Conjunctive Use Programs ............................................. 65 Conclusions ............................................................................................................... 66 References ................................................................................................................. 68 CHAPTER 4 ..................................................................................................................... 81 v THE IMPACT OF LEGAL SYSTEMS ON CONJUNCTIVE USE IN FIVE WESTERN U.S. STATES ............................................................................................ 81 Introduction ............................................................................................................... 81 Defining Conjunctive Use .................................................................................... 83 Surface Water and Groundwater Systems ............................................................ 86 Key Economic Factors .......................................................................................... 87 Legal Foundations for Conjunctive Water Use ........................................................ 89 California’s Complex Water Law System ............................................................ 93 Colorado: Prior Appropriation and Tributary Groundwater ................................ 96 Hydraulic and Legal Interconnectivity in Idaho ................................................... 98 Washington’s Merger: Statewide Conjunctive Administration ......................... 100 Texas: Prior Appropriation and Rule of Capture ............................................... 103 Conjunctive Use Goals vs. Legal Issues ................................................................. 107 Conclusions and the Legal Future of Conjunctive Use .......................................... 116 CHAPTER 5 ................................................................................................................... 123 SOCIAL AND STAKEHOLDER INTERESTS ........................................................ 123 Background ............................................................................................................. 123 Methods................................................................................................................... 125 Online Survey Responses ....................................................................................... 126 General Management and Operations ................................................................. 127 Surface and Ground Water Information ............................................................. 128 Economic Benefits and Costs ............................................................................. 128 Law and Institutions ............................................................................................ 129 Viability of Conjunctive Use Programs .............................................................. 129 Evaluation of Survey Results .................................................................................. 130 Interview Results .................................................................................................... 131 Strengths and Weaknesses of the Survey................................................................ 136 References ..............................................................................................................
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