blog post The “Inexact Science” of Water Pricing By Henry McCann, Adam Soliman Jul 15, 2015 How can the price of water help us manage drought?
blog post Drought Watch: Rethinking Urban Water Pricing By Ellen Hanak, Caitrin Chappelle Sep 3, 2014 This is part of a continuing series on the impact of the drought. Mandatory water use restrictions can be more effective than voluntary ones. Most Californians say they strongly favor mandatory cutbacks. So why aren’t more water agencies enacting them?
Fact Sheet Water Affordability in California By Caitrin Chappelle, Ellen Hanak May 26, 2021 With the cost of supplying water growing in many parts of the state, an affordability crisis is brewing—both for families facing higher bills and communities trying to maintain safe systems.
blog post What Motivates People to Use Less Water? By Lori Pottinger Sep 24, 2018 During droughts, households can be inundated by messages to use less water. We talked to Katrina Jessoe about what motivates people to conserve.
Report Policy Priorities for Managing Drought By Ellen Hanak, Jay Lund, Jeffrey Mount, Peter Moyle ... Mar 16, 2015 State, federal, and local water managers have worked diligently to reduce the economic, social, and environmental harm from the current drought. But as the drought continues, the challenges will grow more acute. California can learn from experiences to date—and from Australia’s response to its Millennium Drought—to better prepare both for the year ahead and for future droughts. State leaders should address weaknesses in four areas of drought preparation and response, by: 1) improving water use information, 2) setting clear goals and priorities for public health and the environment, 3) promoting water conservation and more resilient water supplies, and 4) strengthening environmental management.
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.
blog post Reducing the Costs of Drought: Lessons from Australia By Adam Soliman Sep 16, 2015 Droughts in California and Australia share some common features. What can we learn from Down Under for managing mega-droughts here?
blog post Videos: How Should We Price Water? By Lori Pottinger Sep 28, 2015 These two short videos offer an introduction to some key issues that drive the price of water.
blog post Drought Watch: Our Thirsty Lawns By Ellen Hanak, Jeffrey Mount, Caitrin Chappelle Jul 18, 2014 This is part of a continuing series on the impact of the drought. The unprecedented restrictions on outdoor water use that the state enacted this week send a message that Californians need to conserve more water. But we can do more to move toward sustainable consumption.
Report Improving California’s Water Market By Andrew Ayres, Ellen Hanak, Brian Gray, Gokce Sencan ... Sep 14, 2021 Water trading and banking will prove important tools to help California bring its groundwater basins into balance under the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA). A broad range of policy changes could help improve and expand California’s water market while protecting communities from harm.
