Sacramento And San Joaquin Basins Study: Assessing Climate Change Impacts And Adaptation Strategies In California'S Central Valley Water System

The Sacramento and San Joaquin Basins Study is a collaborative long range planning study conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and state and local partner agencies to assess the impacts of future changes in climate and socioeconomic conditions on water resource management in the Central Valley of California. To account for a range of uncertainty in future conditions through 2100, a scenario-based approach was developed using climate projections available from Couple Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5) climate model simulations and sea level rise projections consistent with National Research Council (NRC) and the most recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Assessment Report 5 (AR5). The performance of the Central Valley water system was evaluated for a range of metrics including water deliveries, water quality, hydropower, flood control, recreation, fish, and wildlife habitats, ESA species, flow dependent ecological resiliency and the economic impacts of water supply changes using an integrated model package that simulates the federal Central Valley Project, the State Water Project and local system operations and regulatory requirements. The study also included the development and evaluation of a range of water management actions that can help reduce or manage future risks posed by potential changes in climate and socioeconomic conditions. Seven adaptation portfolios were explored that each consisted of a variety of water management actions. These thematic portfolios were evaluated to determine their effectiveness in adapting to potential risks posed by future socioeconomic and climate changes and to assess tradeoffs between their relative performances.