Integrated Management of a Finite Water Supply in the Desert

Fort Irwin is located in California's Mojave Desert, adjacent to Death Valley, and receives about five inches of rain per year. Local water supply comes from three separate groundwater basins that have no significant natural recharge and therefore provide a finite supply of water. The base is an important Army training facility and extending the life of water supplies is of critical importance. This work was undertaken to maximize the "lifespan" of local water supplies, minimize costs, and avoid adverse impacts to the extent possible. To meet the needs of this project, the entire water cycle of the area was evaluated in an integrated and quantitative manner, including: modeling local groundwater supplies; evaluating potential development of remote water supplies and associated costs; conducting an end-use water demand and conservation analysis; developing a recycled water irrigation program; implementing an indirect wastewater reuse (i.e., recharge) program; developing an operations program designed to mitigate adverse impacts such as land subsidence; and assessing cost, power consumption, and greenhouse gas emissions from the various alternatives.