blog post Video: Groundwater and Urban Growth in the San Joaquin Valley By Sarah Bardeen Oct 5, 2021 As the San Joaquin Valley addresses groundwater overdraft, its urban utilities face unique challenges. We convened a panel of experts to discuss how to ensure a smooth transition to groundwater sustainability for the region’s residents. Missed it? Watch the event video.
blog post Commentary: Ensuring Water Supplies for the San Joaquin Valley’s Cities Requires Cooperation By Andrew Ayres, Ellen Hanak Oct 4, 2021 The San Joaquin Valley’s urban areas are staring down a potential water shortage, but creative partnerships and good planning could help them avoid it. Read our commentary on the issue for the Fresno Bee.
blog post Video: Improving California’s Water Market By Sarah Bardeen Sep 28, 2021 Water trading and banking are important tools that can help California bring its groundwater basins into balance, but the expansion of the state’s water market still faces some bottlenecks, including aging infrastructure and complex regulations. Watch a panel of experts discuss what can be done.
blog post A Culture of Innovation: Moulton Niguel By Sarah Bardeen Sep 27, 2021 Moulton Niguel Water District, an award-winning water utility in South Orange County, is known for its innovative conservation efforts. We spoke with the district’s general manager Joone Lopez and board president Brian Probolsky about how they foster a culture of creativity in a risk-averse industry.
blog post Commentary: How Water Markets Can Help California Bring Its Groundwater Into Balance By Andrew Ayres, Ellen Hanak Sep 20, 2021 The current drought underscores the need to protect California’s groundwater—our most important reserve to get through extended dry times. Water banking and trading are essential tools for stewarding our groundwater, and we urgently need to make them work better.
blog post Unhealthy Air May Threaten Educational Outcomes By Laurel Abowd, Julien Lafortune, Paulette Cha Sep 16, 2021 Exposure to air pollution—already a concern for children’s health—may also contribute to lower academic achievement.
blog post New Opportunities for Trading Surface Water in the Sacramento Valley under SGMA By Alex Ehrens, Joy Collins, Andrew Ayres Sep 14, 2021 Successful groundwater stewardship under the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) demands good information—not only about groundwater conditions, but also about surface water availability. We produced a new dataset of how access to this vital resource varies across irrigated farmland in the Sacramento Valley and the Delta, so it’s now possible to assess surface water conditions across the entire Central Valley.
blog post Managing Family Forests Is Key to Managing Wildfire By Annabelle Rosser, Henry McCann Sep 8, 2021 In the Sierra-Cascade region, many mixed-conifer forests belong to small family operations, which typically struggle to carry out robust forest management. This gap in management is putting communities at risk; a few policy changes could help.
blog post Video: Advancing Ecosystem Restoration with Smarter Permitting By Sarah Bardeen Aug 23, 2021 Many of California’s ecosystems are in dire need of help, but complex permitting processes are hindering restoration efforts. Letitia Grenier, our 2020 PPIC CalTrout Ecosystem Fellow, convened a panel of experts to discuss how to reform permitting and scale up restoration in California.
blog post Commentary: To Restore California’s Ecosystems, We Must Adopt Smarter Permitting By Letitia Grenier, Jeffrey Mount Aug 18, 2021 California’s ecosystems are vital to the state’s economy and wellbeing, yet they’re in dire health. Large-scale restoration is needed, and implementing smarter permitting can help.
