What is the Integrated Resources Plan?
What are Metropolitan’s water resources?
How is the Plan used?
Why is the Plan being updated?
When will the Update be completed?
How far out do you forecast?
How are you dealing with climate change?
What conditions have changed since the last update?
How are the resource targets set?
How is progress measured?
Who is involved in the process of creating a new IRP?
Where will the water come from to meet the demands of population growth?
How do you account for locally developed water resources?
What is the Integrated Resources Plan?
The Integrated Resources Plan (IRP) is a long-term water resource strategy for the six-county area served by Metropolitan, including parts of Ventura, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, Orange and San Diego counties. The IRP was first adopted in 1996 and was updated in 2004. The IRP sets regional goals for the development of Metropolitan’s various water resources.
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What are Metropolitan’s water resources?
Metropolitan imports water from two primary sources for Southern California. One source is the Colorado River, which is connected to the District’s six-county service area through a 242-mile aqueduct. Another source is water from Northern California, which supplies water through a series of dams and aqueducts known as the State Water Project. In addition, Metropolitan is active in increasing local supplies through sponsoring recycling, conservation, groundwater recovery and desalination efforts. Imported supplies also help to replenish local groundwater basins. Imported water is also stored in reservoirs such as Diamond Valley Lake in Riverside County.
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How is the Plan used?
The IRP is the blueprint that guides Metropolitan’s efforts to increase water supplies and lower demands. The IRP is also an important foundation for water planning needs throughout Southern California. State law requires water districts to have long-term water plans in order to successfully manage growth and plan for our future.
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Why is the Plan being updated?
The IRP is being updated as part of the normal five-year planning cycle, but also as a means to address the changed conditions since the last report and the unprecedented series of challenges and uncertainties that Southern California faces with its water supplies.
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When will the Update be completed?
Currently, the IRP Update is scheduled to be completed in 2009.
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How far out do you forecast?
The planning horizon for the 2009 IRP Update will be extended from 2025 to 2035.
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How are you dealing with climate change?
Climate change is among the uncertainties for which Metropolitan must plan. A basic strategy is to plan to develop more supplies than predicted to be necessary, a “buffer.” This buffer helps to address unexpected changes to local demand. The upcoming IRP will attempt to assess the predicted impacts of climate change, based on the best available science, and to plan accordingly.
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What conditions have changed since the last update?
In terms of lowering demand, Metropolitan’s conservation efforts have remained robust. In terms of imported water supplies, two very important changes have happened. The Colorado River has experienced drought conditions for eight of the last nine years. This is the longest dry period on the river in recorded history. In the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, deteriorating environmental conditions are restricting water deliveries in ways that were not expected. Metropolitan’s ability to capture and store water from the Delta in wet periods is now compromised.
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How are the resource targets set?
Metropolitan’s Board of Directors sets the targets for lowering demands and securing the necessary supplies in the IRP. The so-called “Preferred Resource Mix” is identified based on extensive technical modeling, IRP workgroups, and stakeholder involvement. These targets were revised for the 2004 Update and will be revisited for the 2009 Update.
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How is progress measured?
An annual IRP Implementation Report serves as a “report card” keeping the Metropolitan Board and its member agencies apprised of the current status of the resources and their progress towards the targeted goals.
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Who is involved in the process of creating a new IRP?
The goal is a collaborative region-wide process. Invitees include Metropolitan’s member agencies, sub-agencies, groundwater basin managers and representatives from environmental, agricultural, business and civic communities. The involvement of all stakeholder groups is critical to creating a successful reliability plan. Metropolitan will be hosting a series of workshops as part of its IRP outreach effort; your participation is welcomed and valued.
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Where will the water come from to meet the demands of population growth?
The existing IRP assumes that new local efforts – both increasing supplies and lowering demands – will meet the needs of population growth. Given the challenges facing imported supplies, it is widely expected that the next IRP will have an even greater focus on local projects and control of demand. The precise resource mix (including recycling, desalination, and more conservation) will be identified through this IRP process. That’s why the process to update our IRP is so crucial at this time.
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How do you account for locally developed water resources?
Local water districts have their own planning efforts and own local initiatives. Metropolitan’s job is to coordinate with the local agencies so that local progress is accounted for in assessing the regional water needs. Metropolitan also incentivizes local programs through funding and provides logistical support to the development of such projects.
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