Managing diversions in unregulated streams using a modified percent‐of‐flow approach

In Mediterranean‐type river systems, naturally low seasonal stream flows are often overexploited, which has implications for managing flows for environmental as well as human needs. Traditional approaches to instream flow management are not well suited to unregulated systems with strong seasonal patterns of water availability and many water diverters, and are challenging to implement in such systems. They often do not protect the full range of variability in the annual hydrograph, require extensive site‐specific data, expensive modelling or both. In contrast, holistic flow management strategies, such as percent‐of‐flow (POF) strategies are designed to protect multiple ecological processes and preserve inter‐annual flow variability. However, POF approaches typically require real‐time streamflow gauging, and often lack a robust metric relating a diversion rate to ecological processes in the stream. To address these challenges, we present a modified percent‐of‐flow (MPOF) diversion approach where diversions are allocated from a streamflow baseline which is derived from a regional relationship between a conservative streamflow‐exceedance and date. The streamflow baseline remains the same from year to year, and is independent of water‐year type. This approach protects inter‐annual flow variability and provides a predictable daily allowable volume of diversion at any diversion point—supporting efficient water management planning. The allowable diversion rate in the MPOF approach is based not on a fixed percentage of the ambient streamflow, but rather on a maximum allowable percentage change in riffle crest thalweg depth, an ecologically meaningful, common hydraulic measurement. In this paper, we demonstrate that the MPOF approach is a holistic approach well suited to manage diversions in unregulated streams typical of California's Mediterranean‐type coastal drainages.