Drought and Water Supply Issues in

1. Drought and Water Supply Issues in

2. Water Supply Concerns Increasing demand Reduced supply - drought

3. Water Supply – It all Starts Here

4. The Natural Supply and Demand of Water Evapotranspiration Over 50% of precipitation is lost to evapotranspiration Precipitation Moisture Deficit Groundwater Recharge Moisture Surplus

5. What is Groundwater? well Soil Capillary Water Unsaturated Rock WaterTable Saturated Rock (Aquifer) Saturated Water

6. An Example of Normal Groundwater Fluctuations During the Year

7. Wells, Springs, and Other Private Water Systems = 1000 to 5000 = 5,000 to 10,000 = 10,000 to 15,000 = 15,000 to 20,000 = > 20,000 1990 Census data

8. The Added Pressure on Water Resources Wells drilled between 1966-1994 Average of ~15,000 new wells each year!

9. Private Water Supplies in PA Total = 899,483 Total = 1,083,087

10. Water Use Consumptive Water Use Septic System Non-Consumptive Water Use

11. Groundwater Mining Consumptive Water Use Can result from: -removal of water -density of homes Treatment Plant

12. Drought • Meteorological: based solely on precipitation • Agricultural: based on soil moisture • Hydrologic: based on stream flow, groundwater conditions **Not correlated to air temperature

13. Drought Measurements • Precipitation • NWS precipitation stations • Streamflow • USGS monitoring stations • Groundwater Levels • 50+ wells throughout state • Palmer Drought Index • Computed for ten divisions • Reservoir Storage • Delaware River Basin

14. Precipitation Data

15. Stream Flow Monitoring Network

16. Ground Water Monitoring Network

17. Example of Groundwater Data Available on USGS Web Site observed average record low

18. Palmer Drought Index • Long term hydrologic index • Widely used (and abused) • Water balance method – compares water input to water demands • Complex, need 30+ years of data • Values range from +6 to –6 • Positive number = surplus moisture • Negative number = moisture deficit • Normalized to climate

19. Historical Palmer Drought Index in Pennsylvania(1930 – 2001) moderate severe extreme

20. Drought Susceptibility • Cisterns (High) • Streams • Ponds • Springs • Shallow Wells • Deep Wells (Low)

21. Drought Stages • Watch - warning – emergency • Each stage carries increasingly strict water use regulations • Need three of five indices to agree on stage • Stage recommended by Emergency Management Council • Emergency declared by Governor • Enforced by DEP, River Basin Commissions, police • Separate declarations can be made by the River Basin Commissions to control streamflow

22. Managing Your Water Supply During Drought • Obtain your well log if possible • Rock type, depth, yield, depth to water, etc. • Keep records • Identify alternate sources (private and public) • Monitor your water supply • depth to water in the well • flow from springs • Monitor nearby wells and streams on the web? • Hire a consulting hydrogeologist? ($$) • Water conservation!!

23. Monitoring Wells During Drought Water Level Recorder • Allows accurate detection of water level • Can be easily and quickly read • $250 - $1,000

24. Planning For Your Water Needs

25. Recommended Flow Rates for Homes(gallons per minute)

26. Flow Rates for Livestock Production Flow Rate (gallons per minute) 0 8 16 24 28 32 36 39 42 45 48 50 0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 7000 8000 9000 10000 12000 Peak Use (gallons per day) Assumes relatively uniform use throughout the day

27. Example • 600 hogs @ 4 gpd 2,400 gpd • Hose for hydraulic waste removal (1 hr) 600 gpd • Total 3,000 gpd • Necessary flow rate 24 gpm

28. Home Water Use in Pennsylvania

29. Water Conservation • achieved by change in habit or plumbing • voluntary 10% during watch and warning • mandated 15% during drought emergency • ban on “non-essential” use • always controversial • water rationing = last resort • agriculture exempt • can be difficult to enforce

30. Effect of Water Conservation Low flow toilets Front- loading Low flow showerhead aerators Normal use = 72 Conservation use = 49 Total savings = 32%

31. Pennsylvania Water Use - 1995

32. Pennsylvania Drinking Water Sources - 1995 Total Population = 12,071,810 Private – Ground Water Public – Surface Water Public – Ground Water Per capita ~ 60 gpd

33. U.S. Per Capita Water Use These numbers are calculated as the total amount of water used by everyone (residential, industrial, commercial, etc.) users divided by the total population.

34. Pennsylvania Water Law • Much debate over water use during drought • Centered on “reasonable use” • DRBC and SRBC permit of large users • Registration of 10,000 gpd users • Permitting of 100,000 gpd • Little protection for existing sources! • Agricultural uses exempt • Several bills introduced to update the “State Water Plan”

35. Southeast PA Ground Water Protection Area Permit for 10,000 gpd for 30 days Due to Groundwater Mining

36. Surface Water Laws • Riparian Rights doctrine • “landowners with property adjacent to or crossed by a water body have the right to use the water unchanged in quality or quantity” • i.e. nobody can use the water! • Reasonable Use doctrine • Allows water to be used as long as other users are not unreasonably harmed • Reasonable use defined case-by-case • Domestic > Navigation > Other uses

37. Ground Water Laws • American Rule • May withdraw water for any “natural and ordinary” use without regard for neighboring users • Natural and ordinary = just about anything as long as it is on the property • Established to promote economic development • Not meant to deal with disputes • Deepest well and biggest pump wins! • No guarantee of future availability

38. River Basin Commissions • SRBC and DRBC • Issue permits for surface and groundwater withdrawal (100,000 gallons per day) • Designate Special Protection Areas • Declare drought emergencies • Develop comprehensive plan for water use • Resolve disputes??

39. Drought Resources on the Web • PA DEP drought home page • http://www.dep.state.pa.us/dep/subject/hotopics/drought/ • PA State Climatologist page • http://pasc.met.psu.edu/PA_Climatologist/ • Mid Atlantic River Forecasting Center • http://crab.met.psu.edu/ • Susquehanna River Basin Commission • http://www.srbc.net/ • Delaware River Basin Commission • http://www.nj.gov/drbc/ • National Climatic Data Center • http://lwf.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/onlineprod/drought/xmgr.html#ds • NOAA Drought Information Center • http://www.drought.noaa.gov/ • U.S. Geological Survey • http://wwwpah2o.er.usgs.gov/