EVALUATING TRADEOFFS BETWEEN ENVIRONMENTAL FLOW PROTECTIONS AND AGRICULTURAL WATER SECURITY

摘要: River basin managers responsible for water allocation decisions are increasingly required to evaluate tradeoffs between environmental flow protections and human security. However, the basin-scale effects of regulations on users not well understood, in part because analyses complicated by spatial temporal variation availability, demands, ecosystem needs. Here, we examine alternative regional policies their a distributed network small (182 km2) river coastal California. We use hydrologic model simulate diversion operations under three policy scenarios quantify potential impacts bypass flows adult migrating salmon agricultural storage. The results indicate that there inherent security, with most restrictive associated greatest users. Surprisingly, moderate had larger than unregulated management scenario, suggesting ecological benefits relative adverse Conflicts needs were upper catchments (<2.5 km2), where caused reduction Although natural supplies adequate meeting years regardless restrictions, conflict security was evident dry years. Therefore, strategies particularly needed drought-year ensure while reducing allocations an equitable manner. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.