blog post How the USDA Helps California Farmers Steward Water and Land By Jelena Jezdimirovic Oct 2, 2019 USDA runs a large portfolio of programs to promote conservation of soils, water, and wildlife habitat on farms. California could make more use of them.
Report Exploring the Potential for Water-Limited Agriculture in the San Joaquin Valley By Caitlin Peterson, Cameron Pittelkow, Mark Lundy Jul 20, 2022 As irrigated farmland comes out of production in the San Joaquin Valley, valley residents will face increased pests, weeds, and dust—as well as a loss of employment and economic activity. Water-limited cropping is one alternative to fallowing that can improve soil health and air quality, create habitat, and keep land in production.
blog post A Path to Progress for the Salton Sea By Lori Pottinger Jun 26, 2018 The Salton Sea urgently needs a steady supply of water to reduce health and environmental problems. We talked with Kurt Schwabe about possible solutions.
blog post Commentary: Newsom’s Water Strategy Needs to Go a Step Further By Sarah Null, Jeffrey Mount Sep 8, 2022 Dams are essential to managing California’s water supply, but their construction and operation has harmed freshwater ecosystems. We propose a novel approach to water management that treats the environment as a priority rather than a constraint on reservoir operations—and that may help to manage growing threats to the health of our rivers and estuaries.
blog post An Epic Snowpack May Test Water Management in the San Joaquin Valley By Jeffrey Mount Mar 13, 2023 Nothing improves our understanding of water like a “stress test”—and it’s starting to look like the San Joaquin Valley will face one this spring, when California’s epic snowpack begins to melt. This week on our blog, Jeff Mount speculates about what may lie ahead for the valley.
blog post How Are California’s Cities Managing the Drought? By Alvar Escriva-Bou, Annabelle Rosser, Ellen Hanak Oct 31, 2022 Though urban water agencies have failed to meet Governor Newsom’s call for a 15% voluntary reduction in water use, they’ve avoided major supply disruptions so far. Are cities failing to manage the current drought—or are we focusing on the wrong metrics?
blog post Managing Freshwater Ecosystems in a Pandemic By Jeffrey Mount Jun 8, 2020 Efforts to maintain the health of California’s freshwater ecosystems have been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet maintaining momentum on this work is key to reducing the impact of a hotter, drier climate.
