Jeffrey Mount
Senior Fellow
Expertise: Water policy, climate change policy
Jeffrey Mount is a senior fellow at the PPIC Water Policy Center. He is an emeritus professor of earth and planetary sciences and founding director of the Center for Watershed Sciences at the University of California, Davis. A geomorphologist who specializes in the study of rivers, streams, and wetlands, his research focuses on integrated water resource management, flood management, and improving aquatic ecosystem health. He has served on many state and federal boards and commissions that address water resource management issues in the West. He has published more than a hundred articles, books, and other publications, including the seminal book California Rivers and Streams (UC Press). He holds a PhD and MS in earth sciences from the University of California, Santa Cruz.
Fact Sheet · February 2024
Floods in California
Report · November 2023
Priorities for California’s Water
Blog Post · September 27, 2023
The Weird Weather of 2023: Better Get Used to It
February 2024
Floods in California
November 2023
Priorities for California’s Water
April 2023
Water Use in California
April 2023
Water Use in California’s Environment
August 2022
Storing Water for the Environment
August 2022
Policy Brief: Storing Water for the Environment
May 2022
The Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta
April 2021
Droughts in California
January 2021
California’s Future
January 2021
California’s Future: Water and a Changing Climate
August 2020
Making the Most of Water for the Environment: A Functional Flows Approach for California’s Rivers
December 2019
A Path Forward for California’s Freshwater Ecosystems
September 2019
California’s Water Grid
September 2019
Climate Change and California’s Water
September 2019
Dams in California
November 2018
California’s Water
November 2018
California’s Water: Climate Change and Water
November 2018
California’s Water: The Colorado River
November 2018
California’s Water: Managing Droughts
November 2018
California’s Water: Preparing for Floods
November 2018
California’s Water: Protecting Headwaters
November 2018
California’s Water: The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta
November 2018
California’s Water: Storing Water
November 2018
California’s Water: Water for the Environment
November 2017
A New Approach to Accounting for Environmental Water: Insights from the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta
September 2017
Improving the Health of California’s Headwater Forests
August 2015
What If California’s Drought Continues?
March 2015
Policy Priorities for Managing Drought
December 2009
California Water Myths
February 2007
Envisioning Futures for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta
September 27, 2023
The Weird Weather of 2023: Better Get Used to It
August 23, 2023
Tropical Storm Hilary Wallops Southern California
April 10, 2023
Commentary: Catastrophic Floods and Breached Levees Reveal a Problem California Too Often Neglects
January 12, 2023
Crisis Communication Suffers During Natural Disasters
January 5, 2023
The Promise of a Wet January
November 16, 2022
Climate-Challenged California Must Learn to Thrive with Less Water
September 26, 2022
The Environmental Benefits of the Water Storage Investment Program
September 8, 2022
Commentary: Newsom’s Water Strategy Needs to Go a Step Further
July 19, 2022
Our Experts Weigh In on the Drought
November 1, 2021
Last Week’s Storm: the Good, the Bad, and the Inconclusive
May 3, 2021
California’s Latest Drought in 4 Charts
October 26, 2020
Setting Aside Environmental Water for the San Joaquin River
September 14, 2020
Commentary: New Approach Needed to Protect Health of California’s Rivers
July 20, 2020
High and Rising: Flood Risk in California Grows
June 23, 2020
California’s 21st Century Megadrought
June 8, 2020
Managing Freshwater Ecosystems in a Pandemic
February 10, 2020
Commentary: Newsom’s Water Framework Is Imperfect but Necessary. The Alternative Is Further Deterioration of the Delta
December 5, 2019
Commentary: California Must Stop Relying on the Endangered Species Act to Manage the Environment
March 26, 2019
Rising Seas Bring Rising Water Management Challenges
December 19, 2018
Commentary: Peace in California’s Water Wars is Within Grasp
December 10, 2018
Adapting to an Uncertain Water Future
November 20, 2018
Commentary: A Chance to Solve the Delta Quandary
November 5, 2018
A Water Budget for the Environment
October 30, 2018
Groundwater Management is Key to Adapting to Climate Change
October 15, 2018
The Connection between Groundwater and Surface Water
September 17, 2018
Hurricanes Are Getting Worse. California Should Take Note
September 6, 2018
Make California’s Water Grid Climate-Ready
July 23, 2018
How Wildfires Affect California’s Water Supply
March 8, 2018
An Alternative Approach to Managing the Delta
December 21, 2017
Commentary: California Should Plan as if Drought Has Returned
November 14, 2017
Reforming Water Management for the Environment
October 16, 2017
Commentary: California’s Forests are Dying—They Need Better Care
October 3, 2017
What Recent Hurricanes Mean for Flood Insurance in California
April 17, 2017
Commentary: What Did We Learn from the Drought?
February 23, 2017
The High Cost of Fixing Levees
February 15, 2017
Yesterday’s Dams Face Tomorrow’s Floods
January 17, 2017
Understanding the New Federal Water Law
January 10, 2017
From Drought to Deluge
December 5, 2016
Commentary: A Grand Compromise for the Delta
November 11, 2016
California’s Snow Drought
June 23, 2016
Lessons on Sustaining the Environment During Drought
April 27, 2016
Reconnecting the Klamath
April 11, 2016
A California Drought Report Card
February 4, 2016
There’s Always Drought Somewhere in the West
December 15, 2015
A Pragmatic Reason to Protect Freshwater Fish
December 14, 2015
California’s Environment Needs a Water Budget
October 30, 2015
Saving Native Fishes from Extinction
September 23, 2015
Managing Wildfires Requires New Strategies
September 10, 2015
Extinction Risk for Native Fish if Drought Persists
July 9, 2015
Don’t Count on El Niño to End the Drought
July 6, 2015
Proposed Reservoirs Are No Panacea for Drought
June 9, 2015
Reminder: Droughts Often End with Floods
May 28, 2015
Drought: 10 Ways the Federal Government Can Help
May 27, 2015
A Dry Run for a Dry Future
May 8, 2015
New Strategy, New Challenges for the Delta
April 21, 2015
Farms that Help Wildlife
April 15, 2015
Managing Tough Trade-offs in the Delta
April 9, 2015
Nine Policy Challenges for California Water
March 31, 2015
Drought Watch: The End of the Rainy Season
March 26, 2015
Caring About Delta Levees During a Drought
March 18, 2015
Drought Watch: Priorities for Cities and Farms
February 10, 2015
Drought Watch: Water Not Wasted to the Sea
February 6, 2015
Commentary: Set Water Priorities to Prepare for Drought
January 6, 2015
Drought Watch: Managing—and Learning from—Scarcity
December 12, 2014
Drought Watch: Is This the End of Our Dry Spell?
November 25, 2014
Drought Watch: It’s the Heat and the Humidity
November 3, 2014
Drought Watch: What If 2015 Is Dry?
September 16, 2014
Drought Watch: Crises as Catalyst for Policy Change
July 24, 2014
Drought Watch: Water for the Environment
July 18, 2014
Drought Watch: Our Thirsty Lawns
July 7, 2014
Drought Watch: Putting Some Myths to Rest
May 27, 2014
Drought Watch: Groundwater, Our Hidden Asset
May 19, 2014
Drought Watch: Improving Environmental Management
May 5, 2014
Drought Watch: Keeping Better Track of Water
March 5, 2014
Drought Watch: Harnessing the Storms
February 26, 2014
Drought Watch: Saving the Fish
February 14, 2014
Drought Watch: How Much Do Recent Rains Matter?
February 11, 2014
Drought Watch: Size Matters…in a Drought
February 4, 2014
Drought Watch: A Better Way to Manage Water for Fish
January 21, 2014
