blog post Drought Watch: Treating Stormwater as a Resource By Ellen Hanak Mar 3, 2015 If it is done right, capturing stormwater in rain gardens and wetlands can filter out the pollution while storing the water for later use.
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 California’s Dairy Industry Faces Water Quality Challenges By Lori Pottinger May 20, 2019 Contaminated groundwater is an ongoing problem in the San Joaquin Valley. Solutions to nitrate pollution are especially difficult and expensive for the state’s dairies.
Report California’s Water: Water for Cities By Ellen Hanak, Jay Lund, David Mitchell, Newsha Ajami ... Nov 12, 2018 California’s urban water suppliers are adapting to an increasing population and a growing economy by diversifying supplies and reducing demand. Ongoing challenges described in this brief include managing water quality and developing cost-effective, sustainable local supplies.
blog post A Look at California’s Safe and Affordable Drinking Water Gaps By Caitrin Chappelle May 24, 2021 A new state study identified a $4.6 billion funding gap to resolve safe drinking water problems over five years. We talked to UCLA’s Greg Pierce, the study’s lead researcher, about the findings.
blog post Recession Safety Net Needed for State’s Small Water Systems By Caitrin Chappelle, Lori Pottinger Oct 6, 2020 California has many small water systems that serve economically disadvantaged communities, which were already struggling before the pandemic and recession hit. We talked to experts at the State Water Board about what can be done to keep them from falling off a financial cliff.
blog post Exploring the Yurok Tribe’s Management of the Klamath River By Sarah Bardeen Sep 5, 2023 The Yurok Tribe is one of the few California tribes whose members still reside on a portion of their ancestral lands, including a 44-mile stretch bordering the Klamath River. The Yurok are deeply involved with efforts to protect the river’s watershed, so we asked one of the Tribe’s lawyers to tell us more about what they’re doing—and what challenges they face.
blog post Modernizing Water Systems in Disadvantaged Communities By Lori Pottinger Dec 19, 2017 An innovative program in the Southern California desert helps water suppliers in disadvantaged rural communities better serve their users.
blog post The EPA’s Martha Guzman Discusses New Environmental Justice Initiatives By Sarah Bardeen May 15, 2023 Martha Guzman is leading the Environmental Protection Agency’s efforts to protect public health and the environment for Region 9, which includes California. We spoke with Ms. Guzman to learn more about the EPA’s latest environmental justice initiatives—and found her to be a fountain of both information and enthusiasm about the new opportunities.
blog post Will Groundwater Sustainability Plans End the Problem of Dry Drinking Water Wells? By Jelena Jezdimirovic, Ellen Hanak, Alvar Escriva-Bou May 14, 2020 Overpumping of groundwater has caused domestic wells to go dry in the San Joaquin Valley. Many sustainability plans do not propose ways to mitigate this problem.
