Water Management Plan for the Lower Colorado River Basin
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WATER MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR THE LOWER COLORADO RIVER BASIN EFFECTIVE SEPTEMBER 20, 1989 INCLUDING AMENDMENTS APPROVED BY TEXAS COMMISSION ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY THROUGH JANUARY 27, 2010 AND DROUGHT CONTINGENCY PLAN CHANGES APPROVED BY THE LCRA BOARD OF DIRECTORS THROUGH JUNE 16, 2010 DEDICATION This revision of LCRA’s Water Management Plan is dedicated to Dr. Quentin W. Martin (1946-2003). ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter Page PREFACE A. Background ......................................................................................................................P-1 B. Executive Summary.........................................................................................................P-2 C. Definitions......................................................................................................................P-11 Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION TO THE WATER MANAGEMENT PLAN A. Goals of the Water Management Plan ............................................................................1-1 B. LCRA Act ........................................................................................................................1-2 C. LCRA Water Resources Management – History and Guiding Principles .……………..1-4 D. LCRA’s Comprehensive Water Policy Review and Public Stakeholder Process…..…1-5 E. Organization of the WMP................................................................................................1-6 Chapter 2 MANAGING THE SYSTEM AMONG COMPETING DEMANDS A. Water Quality Issues and Demands ….…………………………………………………2-2 B. Flood Control Responsibilities ........................................................................................2-4 C. Water Supply....................................................................................................................2-5 D. Water Demand .................................................................................................................2-6 Chapter 3 DEVELOPMENT OF THE WATER MANAGEMENT PLAN A. Introduction – The Significance of the Combined Firm Yield of Lakes Buchanan and Travis ...............................................................................................................................3-2 B. Commitments Against Combined Firm Yield of Lakes Buchanan and Travis ...............3-2 C. Annual Allocation of Firm and Interruptible Stored Water.............................................3-6 D. Summary of LCRA’s Water Conservation Plan and Programs ..................................... 3-12 Chapter 4 DROUGHT MANAGEMENT PLAN AND DROUGHT CONTINGENCY PLAN A. Introduction......................................................................................................................4-2 B. Water Users and Interest Groups .....................................................................................4-6 C. Projected 2010 Surface Water Demands During Droughts .............................................4-9 D. Projected Water Supplies...............................................................................................4-19 E. Water Curtailment Policies............................................................................................4-22 F. Annual Implementation of Drought Management and Drought Contingency Plans .....4-38 Chapter 5 DETERMINATION OF THE COMBINED FIRM YIELD A. Requirement of LCRA’s Water Rights for Lakes Buchanan and Travis.........................5-2 B. Reservoir Operations Models ..........................................................................................5-2 C. Downstream Senior Water Rights in the Lakes Buchanan and Travis Combined Firm Yield Model .....................................................................................................................5-6 D. Passage of Daily Reservoir Inflows in the Lakes Buchanan and Travis Combined Firm Yield Model ..........................................................................................................5-19 iii E. Operation of the Reservoir System in the Lakes Buchanan and Travis Combined Firm Yield Model ...................................................................................................................5-31 Chapter 6 SUMMARY OF LCRA’S WATER OPERATIONS SYSTEM A. Introduction......................................................................................................................6-1 B. Hydrometeorological Data Acquisition System...............................................................6-1 C. Hydrologic Models ..........................................................................................................6-1 D. Standard Operating Procedures for Lakes Buchanan and Travis.....................................6-2 Tables Table P-1 Drought Contingency Plan Summary..........................................................................P-9 Table 2-1 Schedule of Critical and Target Flows for the Colorado River Downstream of Austin........................................................................................................................….2-17 Table 2-2 Target and Critical Freshwater Inflow Needs for the Matagorda Bay System From the Colorado River.........................................................................................................2-23 Table 3-1 Existing Firm Water Commitments as of April 2003 .………………………………3-6 Table 3-2 Conservation Base Acreage or Other Priority Allocation of Interruptible Stored Water................................................................................................................................3-9 Table 3-3 Maximum Interruptible Stored Water Available for Sale, Exclusive of Sales for the Conservation Base or Priority Allocation Acreage of the Four Irrigation Operations......................................................................................................................3-11 Table 4-1 Major Water Rights and Authorized Rights in the Lower Colorado River Basin.......4-4 Table 4-2 Reported 2000 and Projected 2010 Annual Firm Surface Water Demands Under Drought Conditions........................................................................................................4-11 Table 4-3 Reported Year 2000 and Projected Acreage and Surface Water Demands for Irrigation.........................................................................................................................4-17 Table 5-1 Downstream Water Rights Senior to the Highland Lakes...........................................5-9 Table 5-2 Monthly Distribution of Annual City of Austin Return Flow, Calendar Years 1978-1987 ......................................................................................................................5-13 Table 5-3 Monthly Return Flows for the City of Austin Adjusted for Historical Return Flows ........................................................................................................................................5-13 Table 5-4 Downstream Reach Definition ..................................................................................5-14 Table 5-5 Daily Flow Routing Coefficients...............................................................................5-15 Table 5-6 Modeled Reach Demands..........................................................................................5-18 Table 5-7 Summary of Downstream Flow Rate Simulation......................................................5-25 Table 5-8 Total Diversion Demands for Senior Water Rights Below Mansfield Dam to be Met from Pass Throughs or Reservoir Inflows..............................................................5-26 Table 5-9 Simulated Monthly Senior Water Rights Diversions from Reservoir Inflows..........5-27 Table 5-10 Simulated Monthly Channel Losses Satisfied by Reservoir Pass Throughs ...........5-28 Table 5-11 Simulated Monthly Flows Past Bay City from Reservoir Pass Throughs...............5-29 Table 5-12 Simulated Monthly Storable Inflows.......................................................................5-30 Table 5-13 Combined Firm Yield for Certificates 14-5478 and 14-5482 .................................5-31 Table 5-14 Summary of LCRA’s Highland Lake Water Rights................................................5-33 Table 5-15 Lake Travis Annual Demand Distribution (%) .......................................................5-35 Table 5-16 Highland Lakes Operations Simulation...................................................................5-37 iv Table 5-17 Highland Lakes Allowable Operations Contents ....................................................5-37 Table 6-1 Standard Operating Levels for the Highland Lakes.....................................................6-3 Figures Figure 1-1 LCRA Water Service Area as of January 1, 2003......................................................1-3 Figure 2-1 Major Tributary Streams, Passes and Bays in the Lavaca-Colorado Estuary...........2-20 Figure 2-2 Process for Determining Freshwater Inflow Needs..................................................2-22 Figure 4-1 Interruptible Stored Water Allocation During Curtailment .....................................4-26 Figure 4-2 Simulated Irrigated Acreage (4 Irrigation Operations Combined)...........................4-39 Figure 4-3 Simulated Gulf Coast Acreage.................................................................................4-40 Figure 4-4 Simulated Lakeside Acreage ....................................................................................4-41 Figure 4-5 Simulated Garwood Acreage....................................................................................4-42