blog post Drought Savvy? Take Our Water Trivia Quiz By Lori Pottinger Nov 17, 2016 Test yourself on your knowledge about the drought and how to respond to it.
blog post Ruling Muddies Waters on Clean Water Act By Brian Gray Sep 19, 2016 The California Supreme Court recently decided a case that could have profound consequences for the state’s efforts to protect water quality.
blog post How Green Is My Water? By Lori Pottinger Aug 2, 2016 Harmful plumes of algae are polluting our waterways with growing frequency. An expert interview about this pressing water quality issue.
blog post Stressful Times for Drought-Stricken Delta By Lori Pottinger Oct 5, 2015 How is the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta faring? An interview with the vice-chair of the Delta Stewardship Council.
Report What If California’s Drought Continues? By Ellen Hanak, Jay Lund, Jeffrey Mount, Peter Moyle ... Aug 19, 2015 California is in the fourth year of a severe, hot drought—the kind that is increasingly likely as the climate warms. Although no sector has been untouched, impacts so far have varied greatly, reflecting different levels of drought preparedness. Urban areas are in the best shape, thanks to sustained investments in diversified water portfolios and conservation. Farmers are more vulnerable, but they are also adapting. The greatest vulnerabilities are in some low-income rural communities where wells are running dry and in California’s wetlands, rivers, and forests, where the state’s iconic biodiversity is under extreme threat. Two to three more years of drought will increase challenges in all areas and require continued—and likely increasingly difficult—adaptations. Emergency programs will need to be significantly expanded to get drinking water to rural residents and to prevent major losses of waterbirds and extinctions of numerous native fish species, including most salmon runs. California also needs to start a longer-term effort to build drought resilience in the most vulnerable areas.
Report California Coastal Management with a Changing Climate By Ellen Hanak, Georgina Moreno Nov 18, 2008 As a result of climate change, California is likely to face significant challenges to coastal management along the ocean coastline and within the San Francisco Estuary, and tough tradeoffs exist. For example, one of the primary means of protecting buildings and infrastructure from sea level rise and increased storm surges is to “harden” the coastline with coastal armoring—but this strategy is detrimental to beaches, public access, and habitat. Priorities for coastal management include inventorying coastal resources, assessing vulnerabilities, and experimenting with alternatives to armoring. This report was prepared as part of the Preparing California for a Changing Climate project.
