WATER RESOURCES ORSANCO Technical Committee February 12-13, 2013

Water Resources Committee  WRC met November 27, 2012  Main discussion items:  Water Resources Initiative Update Inventory of water resources regulations Water use inventory  Governor’s MOU  Climate Change

Inventory of Water Resource Regulations  14 States  Multiple Intrabasin Jurisdictions (TVA, USACE, and more)  Federal Regulations  Multiple Neighboring Compacts/Commissions

2005 Total Freshwater-use in the Ohio River basin (43.82 Bgal/day) Trends in water withdrawals: 1) Juxtapose to a large water body 2) Thermoelectric facility 3) Contain a metropolitan area

2005 Freshwater-Use in ORB by Category Total = 43,817 Mgal/day Data Source: USGS 2005

Quintennial water withdrawals in ORB ( )

Quintennial water withdrawals in ORB ( ) --Excluding Thermoelectric--

county-level estimations Quintennial Consumption

Next Steps  Draft reports completed  Inventory of Laws and Regulations  Characterizing Water-Use  WRC will review at next meeting April 9, 2013  Next topics:  Climate change  Inter-basin transfers  Shale gas development  Future trends in water use?

Governors’ MOU  Acknowledges the Ohio River Basin as a vital, shared water resource  Serves as States’ endorsement of a Commission role in water resources management  Support expressed by four states:  IN, KY, OH, WV  Efforts ongoing to gain further support

Presentations: Jim Noel (NWS) – Climate Trends/Change Debbie Lee (USACE) – CC Pilot Study Climate Change

Regional Temperature/Rainfall Trends Jim Noel (National Weather Service) Temperature  Trend in Ohio has been for warming from 1976 to recently  Most significant warming has occurred in the winter season Precipitation  Trend in Rainfall has been for increased rainfall from 1976 to recently  Much of the increase has been in late summer through autumn

Climate Change Summary  In some parts of the country, climate models do better than others. The Ohio Valley is a tough place as the jet stream flows through here.  The climate will change. Variability will likely increase. Predictability will not be high in our region.  With all of the uncertainty, developing innovative and flexible adaptations will be key.

Ohio River Basin Climate Change Pilot Study Ohio River Basin Climate Change Pilot Study (Debbie Lee, US Army Corps of Engineers) The Ohio River Basin Climate Change Pilot Study addresses potential threats to water resources management and infrastructure posed by CC. The Corps study partners with the ORB Alliance through joint formulation of mitigation and adaptation strategies. A permanent CC working group will be established in the ORB Alliance during the study. NOAA, USGS, USEPA, USACE, Battelle, TNC, UC, UNH and MU are represented on the 18 person team.

Future Uses of Study Findings  Establishment of permanent working group in the ORB Alliance to assist water management agencies in further understanding of climate change effects and implementing adaptation strategies  Increased general knowledge of the potential effects of climate changes on ecological systems and infrastructure used for flood control, water supply, hydropower, navigation and aquatic species enhancement.  Identify opportunities for modifications to flood control structures that address adaptation to climate change effects during planned rehabilitation for Dam Safety issues.  Raising public awareness of climate change effects and potential future operational changes in water management needed to mitigate for or adapt to impacts.

Questions?