blog post Anticipating and Addressing the Impacts of the Drought By Alvar Escriva-Bou, Ellen Hanak, Jeffrey Mount May 4, 2021 With the latest drought off to a strong start, what lessons can we learn from the last major dry period—and what actions can we take to manage it?
blog post What’s Really Important? Putting Recent Water News into Perspective By Sarah Bardeen Dec 8, 2021 Last week, three major stories about California’s water supply dominated the news. We asked PPIC Water Policy Center director Ellen Hanak and senior fellow Jeff Mount to share their perspectives on what’s really important about these stories.
blog post Drought Watch: Putting Some Myths to Rest By Ellen Hanak, Jay Lund, Jeffrey Mount Jul 7, 2014 This commentary was first published by the Sacramento Bee on July 6, 2014. Drought Watch is a continuing series on the PPIC Blog. As the effects of the drought worsen, two persistent water myths are complicating the search for solutions.
blog post Drought Watch: What If 2015 Is Dry? By Ellen Hanak, Jay Lund, Jeffrey Mount Nov 3, 2014 Another warm winter is likely. So what, if anything, should California do differently next year?
blog post Testimony: Planning for Future Droughts By Ellen Hanak Nov 23, 2015 In a week that began with Governor Brown extending the statewide water conservation mandate into next year, a panel of experts testified at an state assembly water committee about improving drought management.
blog post Are California’s Cities Ready for the Next Drought? By Ellen Hanak, David Mitchell Apr 25, 2018 Urban areas fared well during the latest drought, but are they ready for the next one? Here's what you need to know about cities and drought.
blog post Water for Wildlife Refuges: 30 Years of the CVPIA By Sarah Bardeen Sep 20, 2022 The Central Valley Project Improvement Act turns 30 this year. We asked three experts to explain what the CVPIA is—and why it’s so vitally important for migratory birds.
blog post Renewing California’s Groundwater: Ready, Set, Recharge! By Caitlin Peterson, Sarah Bardeen Jun 21, 2023 California’s wet winter has been a boon for the parched state, and farmers and water managers have been scrambling to funnel some of that abundance into the ground. But how is recharge going—and what could be improved? We get on-the-ground insights from Daniel Mountjoy of Sustainable Conservation and Aaron Fukuda of the Tulare Irrigation District.
blog post Smoothing the Bumps in the Road to Ecosystem Restoration By Lori Pottinger Feb 22, 2021 California’s environmental permitting system was developed to prevent bad things from happening to ecosystems, but it often slows efforts to do good things, too. We talked with a group of experts about how to make the process more efficient and effective.
Report Preparing California for a Changing Climate By Ellen Hanak, Louise Bedsworth Nov 17, 2008 California has ambitious plans to cut greenhouse gas emissions. But the state also needs an integrated policy to prepare for―and adapt to―climate change. This report finds that some institutions, such as water agencies and electrical utilities, have already begun planning for change. But other areas have yet to prepare effectively for the challenges of a changing California. More information can be found in the following supporting reports: Climate Change in California: Scenarios for Adaptation Adapting California’s Water Management to Climate Change Adaptation of California’s Electricity Sector to Climate Change California Coastal Management with a Changing Climate Air Quality Planning and California’s Changing Climate Climate Change and California’s Public Health Institutions Conservation and Management of Ecological Systems in a Changing California
