OUR WATERSHEDS • Non-regulatory Special District created in 2006 • Works with individuals, land owners, growers, ranchers, public agencies and nonprofits • Seeks to identify and meet resource conservation needs of county residents • Provides leadership through educational, technical and financial assistance • Founded in 1981 • Offices in SF, Modesto and Sonora • 10 staff members • 1,500 members • Promote protection and stewardship of Tuolumne River Watershed through: • Advocacy • Education • On-the-ground restoration WHERE DOES OUR WATER COME FROM? WHAT IS A WATERSHED? WHAT IS A WATERSHED? • The land area that drains into a single river, stream or lake • Includes both surface and groundwater • Fed by rain and melting snow WHY ARE WATERSHEDS IMPORTANT? • Serve many uses • Provide many environmental and economic benefits • Supply water for drinking, irrigation and hydropower WATERSHEDS SUPPORT FOREST HEALTH WATERSHEDS SUPPORT WILDLIFE WATERSHEDS SUPPORT ECONOMIES WATERSHEDS PROVIDE POWER WATERSHEDS SUPPORT TOURISM WATERSHEDS PROVIDE RECREATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES OUR WATERSHEDS Two primary watersheds in our region: • Tuolumne River Watershed • Stanislaus River Watershed STANISLAUS RIVER WATERSHED STANISLAUS RIVER WATERSHED • Stanislaus River is 96 miles long, beginning near Leavitt Peak in Emigrant Wilderness • Contains 12 major dams • Covers 904 square miles • Average annual outflow of approximately 1,000,000 acre feet of water STANISLAUS RIVER WATERSHED • Primary source of local and regional drinking water for Tuolumne and Calaveras Counties and the SF East Bay • Major generator of hydroelectric power • Uses a system of ditches and flumes to move water • Some of this system at risk of wildfire TUOLUMNE RIVER WATERSHED TUOLUMNE RIVER WATERSHED • Tuolumne River is over 160 miles long, beginning in Yosemite National Park • 83 miles was designated as a Wild & Scenic River by US Congress in 1984 • Covers 1,958 square miles • Average annual outflow of approximately 2,000,000 acre feet of water TUOLUMNE RIVER WATERSHED • Provides drinking water for 2.6 million residents of the SF Bay Area and Groveland • Site of gravity-driven Hetch Hetchy system • Supplies irrigation for 200,000 acres of Central Valley farmland • Global tourist attraction • Home to diverse range of wildlife, including salmon, steelhead and great gray owls OUR HISTORY • Region is birthplace of environmental conservation movement • Extensive roots for mining, agriculture and timber industries • Shared history fostering collaborative efforts for addressing current challenges CURRENT CHALLENGES DROUGHT CONDITIONS DROUGHT CONDITIONS DROUGHT CONDITIONS December 20th, 2016 FebruaryJanuary 17th, 21st, 20172017 DROUGHT Ending At Midnight - March 6, 2018 CONDITIONS LEGEND Capacity Historical (TAF) Average % of Capacity | % of Historical Average Trinity Lake Lake Shasta Lake Oroville Folsom Lake 73% | 97% 76% | 101% 42% | 59% 54% | 95% • Worst California drought in over 1,500 years New Melones Lake Don Pedro Reservoir • 2013 was state’s driest year 80% | 130% 82% | 115% Lake McClure on record 67% | 127% • 2014 was state’s warmest San Luis Reservoir year on record 77% | 90% Pine Flat Reservoir Millerton Lake 53% | 99% 64% | 97% • Reduced water storage Lake Perris Castaic Lake 57% | 68% 81% | 93% Graph Updated 03/07/2018 02:15 PM GROUNDWATER DEPLETION GROUNDWATER DEPLETION • Groundwater provides 60% of state’s water during dry years • Subsidence of as much as 2 feet per year at peak of drought • Damaging to infrastructure • Reduces surface water REDUCED SNOWPACK REDUCED SNOWPACK REDUCED SNOWPACK TREE MORTALITY TREE MORTALITY • Governor Brown declared State of Emergency in October 2015 • An estimated 139 million dead trees as of November 2017 • Central and Southern Sierra is epicenter for crisis TREE MORTALITY TREE MORTALITY • Poses tremendous risk for local homeowners and businesses • Current efforts focused on highway corridors, structures and public utilities • Challenging and expensive to remove INCREASED WILDFIRE RISK INCREASED WILDFIRE RISK • 15 of the largest 19 wildfires in California’s recorded history have occurred since 1999 • The Rim Fire of 2013 was the 4th largest in state history at 257,000 acres • Many adverse environmental and economic impacts Longstanding focus on fire suppression Deficit of larger trees Overgrown, dense forests Less resilient to challenges FOREST STRUCTURE WHAT ARE WE DOING ABOUT IT? STAKEHOLDER COLLABORATIVES TUOLUMNE STANISLAUS INTEGRATED REGIONAL WATER MANAGEMENT PLAN • Collaborative stakeholder group • Water and land management agencies, nonprofits, elected officials and interested citizens • Focus on planning for regional water issues • Attracts funding to region TUOLUMNE STANISLAUS INTEGRATED REGIONAL WATER MANAGEMENT PLAN Amador Tuolumne Community Action Agency Tuolumne Band of Me-Wuk Indians Calaveras County Water District Tuolumne County Central Sierra Audubon Tuolumne County Resource Central Sierra Environmental Resource Conservation District Center Tuolumne Group Sierra Club City of Angels Camp Tuolumne River Trust City of Sonora Tuolumne Utilities District Groveland Community Services District Twain Harte Community Services District Lake Don Pedro Community Services Union Public Utility District District United States Forest Service, Stanislaus Murphys Sanitary District National Forest Pinecrest Permittees Association Utica Power Authority Saddle Creek Community Services District FUNDING AND PROJECTS • Infrastructure improvements • Watershed restoration • Watershed education INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENTS WATERSHED RESTORATION WATERSHED RESTORATION • Partnerships with military veteran, faith-based, corporate and national service organizations • Working alongside local students and community groups • Over 37,000 hours of service performed WATERSHED RESTORATION WATERSHED RESTORATION WATERSHED RESTORATION WATERSHED EDUCATION WATERSHED EDUCATION WATERSHED EDUCATION WATERSHED EDUCATION MOBILE WATER LEARNING LAB MOBILE WATER LEARNING LAB AUGMENTED REALITY SANDBOX HOW YOU CAN HELP • Become water literate • Reduce water use • Rainwater harvesting • Utilize Best Management Practices (BMPs) • Volunteer WHAT IS WATER LITERACY? THE COLOR OF WATER PURPLE PIPES FOR RECLAIMED WATER IMPORTANCE OF STORMWATER IMPORTANCE OF STORMWATER • Spreads pollution • Causes flooding and erosion • Potential source of water for residences and businesses • Focus of many Best Management Practices (BMPs) BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES SLOW IT, SPREAD IT, SINK IT, STORE IT • Bioswales • Rain gardens • Rain barrels • Pervious paving • Greywater • Low-Impact Development SLOW IT, SPREAD IT, SINK IT, STORE IT LOCAL CASE STUDIES EVERGREEN LODGE EVERGREEN LODGE • Installed by Sierra Watershed Progressive of Groveland, CA • Laundry to landscape greywater system • Saltwater bioswales • Low water native landscaping • 1.8 million gallons of water recycled annually EVERGREEN LODGE LOCAL CASE STUDIES RUSH CREEK LODGE RUSH CREEK LODGE • 3.8 million gallons of greywater recycled annually back into landscape • 100% of greywater is gravity fed requiring zero energy • 95% of outdoor irrigation water comes from recycled water • 19,000 gallons per day of subsurface blackwater dispersal system RUSH CREEK LODGE THANK YOU.