Upper Deschutes River Basin Study Technical Memorandum Assessment of Potential Enhanced or New Storage Opportunities U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Reclamation Pacific Northwest Region Finalized December 2018 Mission Statements U.S. Department of the Interior PROTECTING AMERICA’S GREAT OUTDOORS AND POWERING OUR FUTURE The U.S. Department of the Interior protects America’s natural resources and heritage, honors our cultures and tribal communities, and supplies the energy to power our future. Bureau of Reclamation The mission of the Bureau of Reclamation is to manage, develop, and protect water and related resources in an environmentally and economically sound manner in the interest of the American public. CONTENTS 1. Introduction ............................................................................................. 1 1.1 Project Background .................................................................................. 1 1.2 Objectives ............................................................................................... 1 2. Storage Assessment Process .................................................................... 2 2.1 Objectives for New Storage ...................................................................... 2 2.2 Evaluation Criteria Relevant to Potential New Storage ................................. 2 2.3 Literature Review and Inventory of Previously Studied Storage Sites ............ 3 2.4 Identification of Storage Concepts for Further Assessment .......................... 3 3. Storage Concept Assessment ................................................................... 4 3.1 Monner Area Concepts ............................................................................. 5 3.1.1 Concept Description ...................................................................... 5 3.1.2 Concept Information ..................................................................... 5 3.2 Haystack Area Concepts ........................................................................... 6 3.2.1 Concept Descriptions ..................................................................... 6 3.2.2 Concept Information ..................................................................... 6 3.3 Prineville Storage Restoration ................................................................... 7 3.3.1 Concept Description ...................................................................... 7 3.3.2 Concept Information ..................................................................... 7 4. Findings ................................................................................................... 8 4.1 Limitations on Water Delivery ................................................................... 8 4.2 Existing Infrastructure .............................................................................. 8 4.3 Fish Passage ........................................................................................... 9 4.4 Cost Considerations ................................................................................. 9 4.5 Environmental, Cultural and Socioeconomic Issues ................................... 10 4.6 Storage Assessment Task Outcomes ....................................................... 10 5. Literature Cited ...................................................................................... 11 Appendix A – Inventory of Structural Storage Concepts Appendix B – Preliminary Data Summary for Storage Assessment Concepts i CONTENTS (CONTINUED) List of Figures Figure 1. General location of concepts. ........................................................... 4 Figure 2. Monner area concepts. .................................................................... 5 Figure 3. Haystack area concepts. .................................................................. 6 ii 1. Introduction This memorandum summarizes planning level assessments of potential new storage opportunities completed as part of the Upper Deschutes River Basin Study (Basin Study). The objective of this assessment is to evaluate if and how enhanced or new storage facilities could contribute to overall water management objectives. The Basin Study does not propose, recommend, or endorse any particular storage concept or plan. 1.1 Project Background The Basin Study provides an analysis of water supply and demand and identifies associated imbalances. In addition to analyzing how existing operations and infrastructure will perform under projected future water supply conditions and demands, the Basin Study was structured to collaboratively develop and evaluate options for addressing identified water imbalances. The storage assessment task was conducted to provide information about potential new water storage opportunities as one element of future water management strategies. 1.2 Objectives The storage assessment task was completed to: • Review storage concepts considered in previous studies or evaluations. • Develop criteria for evaluating potential storage opportunities relative to Basin Study objectives. • Collaboratively identify one or more potential storage concepts for further evaluation. • Compile information on each of the identified storage concepts in terms of the relevant criteria. This assessment focuses on potential concepts from a physical storage capacity perspective to determine how new storage may contribute to water management objectives in the basin. Other elements of any particular storage concept would need to be further evaluated after stakeholders have determinined if or how storage may contribute to long-term water management objectives in the basin. December 2018 – Storage Assessment Technical Memorandum 1 The information presented in this memorandum is at an early planning level designed to inform evaluation of storage as a general concept in modeling broader water management scenarios. All information is pre-decisional. 2. Storage Assessment Process A Storage Assessment Technical Working Group (TWG) was formed from the Basin Study Work Group (BSWG) to provide input, guidance and recommendations for the storage assessment task. Phase I of the storage assessment task involved a broad inventory and evaluation of potential storage opportunities in the basin. Phase II involved compilation of information for identified storage concepts to support evaluation of potential benefits during water resource modeling scenarios. Outcomes and recommendations were reviewed with the BSWG Steering Committee for concurrence as the assessment progressed. 2.1 Objectives for New Storage The TWG defined the objective for potential new storage concepts in the Upper Deschutes River basin as providing the capacity to store water in lieu of storage at Wickiup Reservoir. New locations for stored water would be to facilitate increased non-irrigation season flows in the Upper Deschutes River and to facilitate moderated irrigation season flows in the Upper Deschutes River. For the Crooked River basin, the TWG defined the objective for new storage as providing restored storage capacity that could enhance operational flexibilities relative to the multiple objectives for water operations in the basin. 2.2 Evaluation Criteria Relevant to Potential New Storage Evaluation criteria were reviewed with the TWG during Phase I of the storage assessment task. The group identified the following criteria as relevant for assessing potential new storage concepts: • Contributions to achieving identified objective(s) for storage. • Potential volume (annual acre-feet). • Reliability of fill. • Relative costs (capital costs, costs per acre-foot, ongoing operation and maintenance, etc.). • Geologic issues (foundation, leakage, etc.). 2 December 2018 – Storage Assessment Technical Memorandum • Water availability. • Legal, regulatory, administrative constraints (scenic waterways, water right permitting, etc.). • Location issues (land ownership, existing structures/utilities, etc.). • Location re: supporting infrastructure, demand, etc. • Streamflow and/or habitat impacts on overall aquatic ecosystem & relevant species. • Fish passage impacts on Threatened and Endangered and other species. • Multi-purpose considerations (recreation, hydropower, etc.). • Cultural, historic, scenic values. • Alternatives for meeting same objectives (conservation, etc.). • Broad-based support for storage concept. 2.3 Literature Review and Inventory of Previously Studied Storage Sites Documents in Reclamation’s Pacific Northwest Region Planning Library were reviewed to identify storage sites examined in previous studies. In addition, Oregon Water Resources Department website listings of potential storage locations were consulted and the TWG provided further input on possible storage sites for consideration. The resulting inventory listing of previously studied storage sites is included as Appendix A. 2.4 Identification of Storage Concepts for Further Assessment The TWG determined that the storage assessment would focus on off-channel surface storage concepts and that groundwater recharge or aquifer storage and recovery concepts would not be addressed as part of this task. The TWG reviewed the broad inventory of potential new storage sites relative to the criteria listed in Section 2.2. During two workshop meetings, the TWG developed consensus agreement that three general concept locations were of interest and would provide a representative range of potential storage benefits and challenges for consideration. While the Plan of Study for the Basin Study envisioned the storage assessment