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Independent, objective, nonpartisan research
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PPIC Water Policy Center

The PPIC Water Policy Center spurs innovative water management solutions that support a healthy society, economy, and environment—now and for future generations.

photo - Wildfire in Yosemite National Park
Report · May 2026

Tracking Headwaters Management for Wildfire Resilience in California

photo - Chumash Tribal Pow Wow
Report · May 2026

Tribal Water Rights in California

photo - View of a city and clouds from above
Report · November 2025

Priorities for California’s Water

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Blog Posts

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photo - Wildfire in Yosemite National Park
May 27, 2026

The Art and Science of Transforming California’s Forests

Sarah Bardeen

photo - Holding Fish in Palm of Hands, pixel-ca-dwr-2026_01_16_NS_0424_DISE_Fremont_Weir
May 18, 2026

A Conversation with CDFW’s New Director, Meghan Hertel

Sarah Bardeen

photo - Four Cranes, pixel-ca-dwr-2026_02_05_NS_0610_Staten_Island_Sandhill_Cranes
May 11, 2026

The Case for Investing in the Delta

Sarah Bardeen

photo - Fourth Media Snow Survey of the 2026 Season, pixel-ca-dwr-2026_04_01_AN_0477_Snow_Survey
May 4, 2026

A Whiplash Spring and California’s Water Supply

Jeffrey Mount

photo - California poppies with the American River below
April 27, 2026

What California’s Next Governor Needs to Know about Water

Letitia Grenier

photo - High Tech Data Center with Server Racks
April 7, 2026

Will Data Centers Threaten California’s Water? It’s Complicated.

Sarah Bardeen, Annalise Blum

Events

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Tribal Water Rights in California

June 4, 2026

Fact Sheets

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photo - Woman Tying Tule Reeds by Water, water-ca-dwr-2025_07_25_AN_0169_Tule_Boat_Festival
May 2026

Tribal Water Rights and Water Use in California

Brian Gray, Letitia Grenier

photo - Woman Testing Water on Feather River, pixel-ca-dwr-KMG_feather_river-06916
February 2026

Water Quality in California

Annalise Blum, Spencer Cole

photo - Merced River at Sunrise
January 2026

California’s Rivers and Streams

Jeffrey Mount, Annalise Blum, Ted Grantham

photo - Colorado River at Sunset
March 2025

The Colorado River

Gokce Sencan, Brian Gray

photo - Forest Fire in Northern California
March 2025

Headwaters and Wildfire in California

Kyle Greenspan, Bradley Franklin

Video

photo - Flooded road warning sign

Drought and Floods in California

photo - Mother and her Toddler at Kitchen Sink Drinking Water
Featured Blog Post · March 23, 2026

California’s Water Agencies Begin Looking to AI

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Key Areas

Fact Cards

Rivers generate 15% of the state’s electricity.
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8 Inches the California sea level has risen already over the past century.
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1 in 5 Californians are vulnerable to flooding.
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40% Share of California land used for agriculture, or about 40 million acres.
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750K The number of Californians who lack access to safe and reliable drinking water.
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Half of Californians—or 20 million people—are supplied by California’s share of the Colorado River.
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About 40% of water used by California cities and farms comes from underground aquifers.
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30 million people and 6 million acres of farmland depend on water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta watershed.
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