Policy Brief Policy Brief: Improving California’s Water Market By Andrew Ayres, Ellen Hanak, Brian Gray, Gokce Sencan ... Sep 14, 2021 This policy brief distills key takeaways from our report on water trading and banking in California, and how they will help the state bring its groundwater basins into balance under the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA). A broad range of policy changes could improve and expand California’s water market while protecting communities from harm.
Statewide Survey PPIC Statewide Survey: Californians and the Environment By Mark Baldassare, Dean Bonner, Rachel Lawler, Deja Thomas Jul 27, 2022 Key findings include: Three in ten Californians name water supply and drought as the state’s top environmental issue; nearly seven in ten say the water supply is a big problem in their part of the state. More than half of Californians say higher gas prices have caused financial hardship, and more than four in ten are upset about the current rate of inflation. Most Californians oppose offshore drilling, and an overwhelming majority want to prioritize alternative energy over oil, coal, and natural gas. But views are divided along party lines. Democrats are much more likely than independents and Republicans to support key state climate change policies.
Fact Sheet The Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta By Jeffrey Mount, Ellen Hanak, Greg Gartrell May 18, 2022 The Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta is California’s largest estuary and a vital hub in the state’s water supply system. Three interlinked issues currently face the Delta: an increasingly unreliable water supply, a decline in ecosystem health, and a fragile system of levees. Learn more about this key watershed in our new fact sheet.
Report Water Partnerships between Cities and Farms in Southern California and the San Joaquin Valley By Alvar Escriva-Bou, Gokce Sencan, Ellen Hanak, Robert Wilkinson Oct 28, 2020 The San Joaquin Valley and urban Southern California are worlds apart, but each faces growing water challenges. Both regions’ water futures could be more secure if they take advantage of shared water infrastructure to jointly develop and manage some water supplies.
Report Stress Relief: Prescriptions for a Healthier Delta Ecosystem By Ellen Hanak, Jay Lund, William Fleenor, Jeffrey Mount ... Apr 29, 2013 California is at a critical juncture on policy for the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta. This report summarizes the results of a wide-ranging study of cost-effective ways to improve the health of the Delta ecosystem. It highlights the need for science-based, integrated management of the many sources of ecosystem stress. The report also recommends improvements to the highly fragmented system of oversight that now involves dozens of federal, state, and local agencies. This research was supported with funding from the S. D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation. Several companion reports contain related findings: Aquatic Ecosystem Stressors in the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta (Mount et al. 2012) summarizes the science of Delta ecosystem stressors for a policymaking audience. Costs of Ecosystem Management Actions for the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta (Medellín-Azuara et al. 2013) assesses costs of water management actions. Integrated Management of Delta Stressors: Institutional and Legal Options (Gray et al. 2013) lays out proposals for institutional reform of science, management, and regulation. Scientist and Stakeholder Views on the Delta Ecosystem (Hanak et al. 2013) presents detailed results of the two surveys conducted by the report’s authors. Where the Wild Things Aren’t: Making the Delta a Better Place for Native Species (Moyle et al. 2012) outlines a realistic long-term vision for achieving a healthier ecosystem.
Report What If California’s Drought Continues? By Ellen Hanak, Jay Lund, Jeffrey Mount, Peter Moyle ... Aug 19, 2015 California is in the fourth year of a severe, hot drought—the kind that is increasingly likely as the climate warms. Although no sector has been untouched, impacts so far have varied greatly, reflecting different levels of drought preparedness. Urban areas are in the best shape, thanks to sustained investments in diversified water portfolios and conservation. Farmers are more vulnerable, but they are also adapting. The greatest vulnerabilities are in some low-income rural communities where wells are running dry and in California’s wetlands, rivers, and forests, where the state’s iconic biodiversity is under extreme threat. Two to three more years of drought will increase challenges in all areas and require continued—and likely increasingly difficult—adaptations. Emergency programs will need to be significantly expanded to get drinking water to rural residents and to prevent major losses of waterbirds and extinctions of numerous native fish species, including most salmon runs. California also needs to start a longer-term effort to build drought resilience in the most vulnerable areas.
Report Comparing Futures for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta By Ellen Hanak, Jay Lund, William Fleenor, Jeffrey Mount ... Jul 17, 2008 For over 50 years, California has been pumping water through the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta for extensive urban and agricultural uses around the state. Today, the Delta is ailing and in urgent need of a new management strategy. This report concludes that building a peripheral canal to carry water around the Delta is the most promising way to balance two critical policy goals: reviving a threatened ecosystem and ensuring a reliable, high-quality water supply for California. More information can be found in the following supporting appendices:Appendix A. Policy and Regulatory Challenges for the Delta of the FutureAppendix B. Levee Decisions and Sustainability for the DeltaAppendix C. Delta Hydrodynamics and Water Salinity with Future ConditionsAppendix D. The Future of the Delta Ecosystem and Its FishAppendix E. Expert Survey on the Viability of Delta Fish PopulationsAppendix F. The Economic Costs and Adaptations for Alternative Delta RegulationsAppendix G. Peripheral Canal Design and Implementation OptionsAppendix H. Delta Drinking Water Quality and Treatment CostsAppendix I. The Economic Effects on Agriculture of Water Export Salinity South of the DeltaAppendix J. Decision Analysis of Delta Strategies Interactive Map: Voting Patterns on Proposition 9 (Peripheral Canal), June 1982 Interactive Map: A Multi-Purpose, Eco-Friendly Delta Interactive Feature: Delta Island Flooding (With Repairs) Interactive Feature: Delta Island Flooding (No Repairs)
Report Climate-Smart Tools to Protect California’s Freshwater Biodiversity By Ted Sommer, Jeffrey Mount, Brian Gray, Letitia Grenier ... May 24, 2024 Half of California’s native freshwater species are highly vulnerable to extinction within this century. Our new report describes the urgent action needed to save them.
Policy Brief Policy Brief: Advancing Ecosystem Restoration with Smarter Permitting By Letitia Grenier, Stephanie Panlasigui, Crissy Pickett, Gokce Sencan Aug 16, 2021 California’s ecosystems are suffering, but transforming the state’s permitting processes could accelerate much-needed restoration projects across the state.
Report California’s Water: Energy and Water By Ellen Hanak, Jay Lund, Katrina Jessoe, Robert Wilkinson ... Nov 12, 2018 Energy and water use in the state are interconnected yet managed separately. This brief describes the synergies and tradeoffs between the two sectors and proposes ways to increase the efficiency and sustainability of both.
