California’s Water: Water for the Environment
Summary
River and wetland ecosystems in California—and the many birds, fish, and other species they support—are in serious decline. Major investments and novel approaches are needed to improve the health of our natural environment. This brief explains how water is used for environmental purposes and describes priority approaches that could improve its management.
This publication is part of a briefing kit that summarizes 13 of the state’s most pressing water management issues.
This series is supported with funding from the following sponsors:
Almond Board of California
American Rivers
Association of California Water Agencies
California American Water
California Trout
California Urban Water Agencies
California Water Service
The Dirk and Charlene Kabcenell Foundation
Driscoll’s
Environmental Defense Fund
Friant Water Authority
Golden State Water Company
Metropolitan Water District of Southern California
Mojave Water Agency
Morgan Family Foundation
The Nature Conservancy
Northern California Water Association
Rosenberg Ach Foundation
S. D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation
San Francisco Public Utilities Commission
Santa Ana Watershed Project Authority
Silicon Valley Community Foundation
State Water Contractors
Sustainable Conservation
Walton Family Foundation
Water Foundation
Western Growers
Managing Freshwater Ecosystems in a Pandemic
California’s Wild and Scenic Rivers Act Hampers Shasta Reservoir Project
California Must Stop Relying on the Endangered Species Act to Manage the Environment
How Much Water Does Nature Need?
Why We Need Working Floodplains
Remaking Flood Management to Support Salmon
A Water Budget for the Environment
State’s Ecosystems Face a Flood of Changes
California’s Ecosystems in Perpetual Drought
Lessons on Sustaining the Environment During Drought
Water Law Aided Ecosystems in Drought
Are California’s Cities Ready for the Next Drought?
California’s Environment Needs a Water Budget
A Pragmatic Reason to Protect Freshwater Fish
Extinction Risk for Native Fish if Drought Persists
Saving Native Fishes from Extinction
Better Information Can Help the Environment
California’s Fish Emergency
Water Marketing That Helps Nature
Better Reservoir Management Would Take the Heat off Salmon
Farms that Help Wildlife