Report 2022-106 Recommendation 3 Responses

Report 2022-106: Department of Water Resources: Its Forecasts Do Not Adequately Account for Climate Change and Its Reasons for Some Reservoir Releases Are Unclear (Release Date: May 2023)

Recommendation #3 To: Water Resources, Department of

To better prepare to effectively manage State Water Project operations during future, possibly more extreme drought periods, DWR should, by May 2024, develop a long-term plan for proactively mitigating and responding to the impacts of drought on the project. In accordance with drought preparation best practices, DWR should include the following components in the plan:

1. An assessment of the potential impacts of drought on the State Water Project that accounts for the possibility that climate change may result in more severe droughts.

2. An assessment of DWR's current capability to address those potential impacts, as well as the identification of any steps that DWR must take to gain needed capabilities.

3. Specific strategies for operating the State Water Project to mitigate and respond to the identified impacts of drought while still achieving the project's objectives.

4. A description of the circumstances that would trigger DWR to begin implementing its drought response strategies.

5. Provisions requiring DWR to update the drought plan at least once every five years and also after each drought to incorporate lessons learned.

1-Year Agency Response

In May 2024, Department of Water Resources (DWR) adopted the State Water Project (SWP) Long-term Drought Plan, which consolidates information and actions taken during past droughts along with descriptions of the actions taken by the SWP to plan for and prepare for future droughts.

The SWP Long-term Drought Plan specifically addresses the recommendations of the audit by including an assessment of the potential impacts of drought on the SWP, including the possibility that climate change may result in more severe droughts. Chapter 2 of the SWP Long-term Drought Plan describes several historical droughts and the varied impacts they have had on the SWP and the State more broadly. Chapter 3 of the SWP Long-term Drought Plan describes analysis of drought conditions under worsening climate change and how those conditions would impact the SWP. Together, these chapters address recommendation item #1.

Chapters 4, 5, and 6 of the SWP Long-term Drought Plan address recommendation items #2, 3 and 4. Chapter 4 of the SWP Long-term Drought Plan describes SWP's Water Supply Planning and Operations. This chapter describes how the SWP uses forecasts and other information to inform allocations and operations. Chapter 4 also describes the actions that the SWP takes when hydrologic conditions indicate that a drought may be developing and how those steps are ramped up or down as conditions evolve. Several coordination and decision-making processes are discussed that are conditions of SWP's operating permits. Chapter 5 describes the lessons learned from the most recent drought in 2019-2022. Chapter 6 describes a suite of actions that the SWP is taking to improve resilience and flexibility for future droughts.

In Chapter 1, section 1 of the SWP Long-term Drought Plan, DWR commits to reviewing the drought plan every five years, at a minimum, and will update the plan following significant drought events. This commitment addresses recommendation item #5.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 1-Year Status: Fully Implemented

6-Month Agency Response

DWR continues to compile existing and new drought information into a comprehensive long-term document for the SWP.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 6-Month Status: Pending

60-Day Agency Response

The Department of Water Resources is compiling existing and new drought information into a comprehensive long-term document for the State Water Project.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 60-Day Status: Pending

All Recommendations in 2022-106

Agency responses received are posted verbatim.