Water Allocation - RI Water Resources Board

Water Allocation

Water Allocation/Water Management Program

In 1999, the RI General Assembly granted the agency sole authority to devise a fair and equitable allocation of water resources among users and uses to ensure that long-range considerations of water supply prevail over short-term considerations. Towards this end, the Board has initiated a collaborative water allocation program development process, watershed studies, hydrologic modeling efforts, drought planning and management, and further work to develop a water supply in the Big River Management Area.

Phase I: Water Allocation Program Advisory Committee (WAPAC)

Phase I Flowchart Diagam (PDF)

In June 2002, the Board launched an inclusive water allocation planning effort, the Water Allocation Program Advisory Committee, with 66 participating organizations (150 individuals) to develop a water allocation program for the state. The Board considered twenty-one priority recommendations during 2003. The Board approved 6 of these recommendations at the March 2004 meeting to form the basis for a Rhode Island Water Allocation program:

Adopt a Priority Water Use Policy;
Create a Water Management System using a Watershed Approach;
Continue the detailed Water Resources Inventory and expand the Water Use Data Reporting System;
Establish a Water Allocation Program Implementation Team (to work with staff in the design of a water management system and develop a pilot project in a Rhode Island watershed);
Establish a separate WRB/DEM Partnership to be known as the Streamflow Working Group to address streamflow issues such as: aquatic base flow and the further development of a statewide streamflow gaging network; and
Establish an Education and Outreach Program (working collaboratively with existing public and not-for-profit organizations).

Phase II Water Allocation Implementation Team

Phase II Flowchart Diagam (PDF)

The Phase II Implementation Team was tasked to begin implementation of the six water allocation recommendations. The Team includes a diverse group of municipal planners, water suppliers, state partner agencies and environmental advocacy groups. The Team has worked throughout 2004 to design a water management system that identifies the water resources available within a basin and sub-basin. A long-term water budget based on basin and sub-basin fact sheets using the Lower Blackstone River Basin have been designed based on a series of consensus planning meetings. A technical subcommittee was formed to fully evaluate basin ratios and base flow system triggers. During 2004, the Implementation Team efforts have also resulted in a draft report that will be presented to the Board for action at the March 2005 meeting. The pilot study in the Lower Blackstone River basin will commence during spring 2005 and will include a series of workshops and meetings with planners and decision-makers in communities throughout the Lower Blackstone basin. It is anticipated that new guidance for local comprehensive plans and a technical assistance document will result from the 2005 pilot project.

Water Use and Availability Studies - A Watershed Approach

Working with the US Geological Survey (USGS) and the University of Rhode Island (URI), the agency is completing a comprehensive statewide inventory of surface water and groundwater resources currently existing, used, or available to support future uses in nine basins, i.e., watersheds. The amount of water available is determined based on historical stream flow levels and areas of stratified drift in the watersheds. The USGS and URI collect known water use data from Water Supply Systems Management Plans prepared by major public water suppliers, other individual businesses that are metered, or by estimating according to predetermined formulas. The Block Island, Blackstone, and Wood-Pawcatuck studies have been completed and the others are in draft form. A statewide summary report is planned once all the basin studies have been completed. All water data is being compiled in a database under development by USGS for use by New England states. Once complete, the studies will provide important trend data to be compared to the findings and recommendations of the 1990 study titled Water Supply Analysis for the State of Rhode Island (later adopted as State Guide Plan Element 722).

Low Flow Analysis

The Board is in the second year of a two-phased project to assess existing stream flow data, develop estimates and ultimately a web-based, stream statistics program compatible with the National Hydrologic Database.

Hydrogeologic Models: Optimizing Water Use

The Board is conducting specialized modeling activities in the Usquepaug-Queen sub-basin of the Wood Pawcatuck watershed (published December, 2004), the Big River Management Area and the Blackstone River basin. A future study is planned for the Chipuxet sub-basin. The Board is in the final year of a contract with the USGS and the Natural Resources Conservation Service to create an optimization model in the Wood-Pawcatuck. These models evaluate the effect of present and future water withdrawals by public suppliers, industry, agriculture, and other water users on stream flow and water supply. Various rates of population growth, pumping, and stream flow can be plugged into the model to evaluate alternatives for future water use. The optimization model study for the Hunt River aquifer was completed and published. The model illustrates various scenarios by which groundwater withdrawals [pumping] can be managed to minimize stream flow depletion and maximize supply.

Drought Planning and Management

The Water Resources Board continues to take a leadership role in drought management. During this past year, the Board has assessed conditions on a monthly basis. For example, the monthly report is prepared consolidating information from the National Weather Service, Climate Prediction Center and the US Geological Survey. The ongoing monitoring compares current conditions to an “average” year. It is important to note that if drought conditions had occurred, a Drought Steering Committee comprised of state agencies, suppliers, academics, and scientists would have been convened by the Water Resources Board to prepare recommendations for the Office of the Governor. The collaborative drought management and planning process pools resources, minimizes duplication of effort, coordinates response and provides a forum for on-going assessment of drought conditions, impacts and mitigation strategies.

Together, these initiatives assist state agencies and local communities to make projections regarding threatened sources, anticipate water shortages, and resolve potential water demand disputes. They provide valuable guidance for major capital improvement projects, residential growth and economic development consistent with state and local policies and plans.

Drought Information For Rhode Island

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