from forest to faucet: drinking water as an ecosystem service by albert h. todd & emily weidner
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USDA Forest Service S&PF, Cooperative Forestry Ecosystem Services and Markets
From Forest to Faucet:Drinking Water as an Ecosystem Service
Albert H. Todd & Emily WeidnerUSDA Forest Service, State & Private Forestry
USDA Forest Service S&PF, Cooperative Forestry Ecosystem Services and Markets
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How we get water in our homes…
USDA Forest Service S&PF, Cooperative Forestry Ecosystem Services and Markets
Project Objectives
1. Identify areas important to surface drinking water quality
2. Understand the role of forests in protecting surface drinking water
3. Identify threats that may affect the forests ability to provide clean surface drinking water in the future
4. Identify opportunities for PWS
USDA Forest Service S&PF, Cooperative Forestry Ecosystem Services and Markets
Limits
• Surface water only not groundwater
• Drinking water not aquatic system health
• Threats to forests only not industry, point sources, etc.
USDA Forest Service S&PF, Cooperative Forestry Ecosystem Services and Markets
Collaboration
Science Advisory Team• Dr. Jim Vose, USFS Coweeta Hydrologic Laboratory• Dr. Tom Brown, USFS Rocky Mountain Research Station• Dr. Paul Barten, Professor, University of Massachusetts• Dr. Steve McNulty, USFS Southern Research StationUSFS Project Advisors• FHTET: Frank Krist and Frank Sapio• USFS Fire Modeling Insttute: Jim Menekis• GIS Advisor: Rebecca Whitney Lilja• NFS: Jean Thomas, Chris Carlson, Rick Swanson• S&PF: Susan Stein, Karl Dalla Rosa
USDA Forest Service S&PF, Cooperative Forestry Ecosystem Services and Markets
Data Sources
• Surface water intakes, EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS)
• Delineated Sub-watersheds (12-digit HUCs), NRCS/USGS National Cartography & Geospatial Center
• Forest Land, USGS 2001 National Land Cover Dataset (NLCD)
• Forest Ownership, USFS 2009 NFS Basic Ownership, and Conservation Biology Institute Protected Areas Database Version 4.
• Development Pressure, David Theobald, 2009, Colorado State University (same data used in “Forests on the Edge”)
• Insect and Disease Risk, USFS Forest Health Technology Enterprise Team, National Insect & Disease Risk Map, 2007.
• Wildland Fire Potential, USDA Forest Service, Fire Modeling Institute
USDA Forest Service S&PF, Cooperative Forestry Ecosystem Services and Markets
Map Scale
• Sub-watersheds = 12-digit HUC, lt blue lines
• > 88,000 HUCs• Ave. size =
35 sq mi
USDA Forest Service S&PF, Cooperative Forestry Ecosystem Services and Markets
Three Step Analysis Process
Step 1: Create a watershed index for surface drinking water importance
- # of consumers, proximity to intakes, water supplyStep 2: Create a watershed index of importance of
forest area to surface drinking water- step 1 results, and forest area
Step 3: Identify threats that may affect the forest’s ability to provide clean drinking water
- step 2 results, and development and other threats
USDA Forest Service S&PF, Cooperative Forestry Ecosystem Services and Markets
Step 1: Important watersheds for surface drinking water
• What is the relative importance of each sub-watershed in providing surface drinking water? • Population served• Distance to intake
USDA Forest Service S&PF, Cooperative Forestry Ecosystem Services and Markets
Surface Drinking Water Importance
Index: water protection risk
model
PRn = P0 + ∑ (Wi * Pi)
Pi = the population served by intakes in the ith downstream sub-watershed,
Wi = the proportional weight for ithdownstream sub-watershed
USDA Forest Service S&PF, Cooperative Forestry Ecosystem Services and Markets
Surface Drinking Water Importance Index: weighting by water supply
IMPn = (Qn) * (PRn)
Qn = the mean annual water supply for sub-watershed n
PRn = the risk-based drinking water protection for sub-watershed n
IMP = surface drinking water importance index
mean annual water supply
mean annual water supply
USDA Forest Service S&PF, Cooperative Forestry Ecosystem Services and Markets
areas of surface drinking water importance (weighted by mean annual water supply)
USDA Forest Service S&PF, Cooperative Forestry Ecosystem Services and Markets
areas of surface drinking water importance (weighted by mean annual water supply)
USDA Forest Service S&PF, Cooperative Forestry Ecosystem Services and Markets
Step 2: Importance of forests for surface drinking water
• To what extent do forests protect important watersheds for surface drinking water? • All forests• Private forests• All protected forests• NFS lands
USDA Forest Service S&PF, Cooperative Forestry Ecosystem Services and Markets
% All forests
% Private forests
% Protected forests
% NFS forests
USDA Forest Service S&PF, Cooperative Forestry Ecosystem Services and Markets
the extent to which all forests are currently protecting areas of surface drinking water importance.
USDA Forest Service S&PF, Cooperative Forestry Ecosystem Services and Markets
the extent to which NFS forests are currently protecting areas of surface drinking water importance.
USDA Forest Service S&PF, Cooperative Forestry Ecosystem Services and Markets
the extent to which protected forests are currently protecting areas of surface drinking water importance.
USDA Forest Service S&PF, Cooperative Forestry Ecosystem Services and Markets
the extent to which private forests are currently protecting areas of surface drinking water importance.
USDA Forest Service S&PF, Cooperative Forestry Ecosystem Services and Markets
Step 3: Threats facing forests important for surface drinking water
• To what extent do development, fire, and insects and disease threaten forests important for surface drinking water?
USDA Forest Service S&PF, Cooperative Forestry Ecosystem Services and Markets
Housing development increase, 2000-2030
• Dave Theobald FOTE data– 2030: SERGoM v3 model for development– 2000: Census Bureau block dataset
• Eligible change:– Rural 1 to Rural 2– Rural 2 to Exurban/Urban – Rural 1 to Exurban/Urban
USDA Forest Service S&PF, Cooperative Forestry Ecosystem Services and Markets
% of each sub-watershed expected to increase housing development in forested areas between 2000 and 2030 (Theobald)
USDA Forest Service S&PF, Cooperative Forestry Ecosystem Services and Markets
Forests important for surface drinking water and threatened by development
USDA Forest Service S&PF, Cooperative Forestry Ecosystem Services and Markets
Wildland Fire Potential
• USFS Fire Modeling Institute data– Considered fuels potential
and crown fire potential.– Based on fire severity,
weather, frequency, and size.
• Eligible threats: – High or very high wildland
fire potential
USDA Forest Service S&PF, Cooperative Forestry Ecosystem Services and Markets
% of sub-watershed containing forests with high or very high wildland fire potential(USFS Fire Modeling Institute)
USDA Forest Service S&PF, Cooperative Forestry Ecosystem Services and Markets
Forested areas important for surface drinking waterand threatened by wildland fire
USDA Forest Service S&PF, Cooperative Forestry Ecosystem Services and Markets
Insect and Disease• USFS Forest Health
Technology Enterprise Team– 188 models of agent/host
interactions which result in tree mortality
• Eligible threat:– areas where, without remediation,
25 percent or more of the standing live basal area of will die over the next 15 years
USDA Forest Service S&PF, Cooperative Forestry Ecosystem Services and Markets
% of sub-watershed classifiedas having high risk of mortalitydue to insects and disease(USFS Forest Health Technology Enterprise Team)
USDA Forest Service S&PF, Cooperative Forestry Ecosystem Services and Markets
Forested areas important for surface drinking waterand threatened by insects and disease
USDA Forest Service S&PF, Cooperative Forestry Ecosystem Services and Markets
Insect and Disease
Development
Wildland Fire
USDA Forest Service S&PF, Cooperative Forestry Ecosystem Services and Markets
Overlay of Other threats
• Stress due to climate change (work of Ge Sun and Steve McNulty)
• Risk from other disturbances – mining• Linkage with water quality improvement
efforts• Concurrence with aquatic system needs.
USDA Forest Service S&PF, Cooperative Forestry Ecosystem Services and Markets
Key Benefits of Results
• Aid decision-making to protect, restore, or manage priority watersheds– State forest resource assessments & strategies– Hazardous Fuels Priority Allocation System– Wildland Fire Decision Support System– West Wide Wildfire Risk Assessment– “Landscape Conservation/All lands” prioritization models (FHTET)– Stewardship Program Planning– Land conservation programs - legacy
• Heighten awareness of dependency on forests for clean water • Enhance Performance Measures – provides context
USDA Forest Service S&PF, Cooperative Forestry Ecosystem Services and Markets
Application to PES siting:Helping to identify 3 criteria
• Consumer demand for the clean water and a willingness to pay
• A clear connection between forest management and drinking water
• Future threat to the existing watershed services that can be avoided or averted through a payment designated for management or protection
USDA Forest Service S&PF, Cooperative Forestry Ecosystem Services and Markets
Putting a value on water from forests
• Assume clean water is produced for free!• Take services for granted • No consequences for loss• Undervaluing leads to overuse or lack of
protection
USDA Forest Service S&PF, Cooperative Forestry Ecosystem Services and Markets
Less Forest Cover = Higher Treatment Costs
Impact of Forest Cover on Chemical Treatment Costs
$0.00
$50.00
$100.00
$150.00
$200.00
$250.00
0 20 40 60 80 100
Percent Forest in Drainage Area
Ch
em
ica
l co
st/M
G
A 10% decline in forest cover leads to an $8-12 increase in chemical costs per million gallons of water treated. E.g. 26 MGD ($10) = 228.8 (365) = $
95,000/yr
or stated another way…
For every 10% decline in forest cover, there may be a 8-20% increase in chemical treatment costs. May be higher when other costs are added.
USDA Forest Service S&PF, Cooperative Forestry Ecosystem Services and Markets
NYC Watershed
• Supply for 6+ million people• Threat of regulation or
protection of forests and agricultural lands
• $7+ billion-capital invest ; $50 million/year in conservation vs. $300+ million/year in operating costs.
• Enhanced services model
USDA Forest Service S&PF, Cooperative Forestry Ecosystem Services and Markets
Denver Water
• 2.5 + million people • Upper Platte & St.Vrain Rivers
or Colorado Front Range• Fire and flood degraded quality
and damaged treatment and storage facilities ($27 million)
• $25 million fund for fire reduction, road rehab, and fire prevention measures in watersheds (City and FS)
USDA Forest Service S&PF, Cooperative Forestry Ecosystem Services and Markets
Sante Fe, NM
• City of Sante Fe, Watershed Association, TNC, USFS
• Prevent wildfire damage• Forest thinning 17,000 acres• 20-year 6.2 million plan with
shared costs • $43.5 million in avoided costs in
provisioning/regulating services
USDA Forest Service S&PF, Cooperative Forestry Ecosystem Services and Markets
Payments for Watershed Servicesin Latin America
• Longest Running Experience with PWS programs
• National Programs in Costa Rica, Mexico, & Ecuador
• 5.7 Million Acres - $31M for Watershed Conservation
• Drinking Water and Hydropower key concerns
Costa Rica
Mexico
Equador
USDA Forest Service S&PF, Cooperative Forestry Ecosystem Services and Markets
Ecuador - Quito Region
• Water supply for Quito and surrounding areas - comes from two public reserves
• Water Conservation Trust fund • Water tariff /user fee(1 cent /m3)on
water use or dependent goods• Land acquisition, management
practices within 1.3 million acre area. • Landowners receive support for
improved management not payments.Antisana Volcano – Nicole Balloffet
Quito, Ecuador - David Berkowitz ©©
USDA Forest Service S&PF, Cooperative Forestry Ecosystem Services and Markets