blog post Sinking Lands, Damaged Infrastructure: Will Better Groundwater Management End Subsidence? By Alvar Escriva-Bou, Jelena Jezdimirovic, Ellen Hanak May 14, 2020 Excess groundwater pumping can cause land to sink and damage infrastructure. Groundwater plans are supposed to reduce this risk—but do they go far enough?
blog post Commentary: How to Address Groundwater Planning Gaps By Ellen Hanak, Jelena Jezdimirovic Jun 16, 2020 Groundwater sustainability planning for the San Joaquin Valley will have to resolve gaps in three key areas to ensure success.
blog post How Water Justice Groups View Groundwater Sustainability Planning By Caitrin Chappelle Oct 20, 2020 Groundwater overdraft has caused domestic wells to go dry in the San Joaquin Valley. Environmental justice experts explain flaws in groundwater planning in light of this problem.
blog post Mapping Farms by Size in the San Joaquin Valley By Andrew Ayres, Zaira Joaquín Morales, Ellen Hanak Aug 30, 2023 The San Joaquin Valley will have to adapt to a future with less water for irrigation under the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act. Some have raised concerns that this could put smaller farms at a disadvantage—but is this true? To gain insight on this issue, we decided to take a closer look, exploring where San Joaquin Valley farms of different sizes are located—and what they grow.
blog post Could Rangeland Return to the Central Valley? By Caitlin Peterson Mar 28, 2022 As Central Valley farmers confront the need to fallow some farmland to comply with SGMA, we interview two experts about a possible alternative to fallowing: converting formerly irrigated farmland into rangeland. It would keep the land economically productive—and might bring other benefits.
blog post Maximizing Benefits of Solar Development in the San Joaquin Valley By Annabelle Rosser, Mitchelle De Leon May 9, 2022 Solar development offers one promising way to soften the economic blow as more irrigated farmland comes out of production in the San Joaquin Valley. We met with a diverse range of stakeholders to discuss how to maximize benefits—and mitigate potential harm.
blog post Got Surface Water? Groundwater-Only Lands in the San Joaquin Valley By Jelena Jezdimirovic, Ellen Hanak, Alvar Escriva-Bou Jul 8, 2019 Twenty percent of the San Joaquin Valley’s irrigated farmland doesn’t have access to surface water. This creates complications for sustainable groundwater management planning.
blog post Groundwater Sustainability Planning Undeterred by COVID-19 By Lori Pottinger Apr 6, 2020 COVID-19 has led to creative ways of working together while sheltering in place. This expert interview explores how the pandemic is affecting public outreach for state-mandated groundwater planning.
Report Exploring the Potential for Water-Limited Agriculture in the San Joaquin Valley By Caitlin Peterson, Cameron Pittelkow, Mark Lundy Jul 20, 2022 As irrigated farmland comes out of production in the San Joaquin Valley, valley residents will face increased pests, weeds, and dust—as well as a loss of employment and economic activity. Water-limited cropping is one alternative to fallowing that can improve soil health and air quality, create habitat, and keep land in production.
