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 Groundwater Management is Key to Adapting to Climate Change By Jeffrey Mount, Ellen Hanak Oct 30, 2018 Sustainable groundwater management is vital to adapting to a warmer future and should be a top policy priority for the next administration.
blog post Why Farming Needs the New Groundwater Law By Ellen Hanak, Sarge Green, David Zoldoske Jun 2, 2015 Declines in groundwater levels are causing problems around the state. The new groundwater law will help manage groundwater so that it’s available during droughts, when it’s most needed.
blog post New Water Laws Address Groundwater, Marijuana By Caitrin Chappelle, Henry McCann Oct 15, 2015 Two recent bill packages took important steps toward improving groundwater management and reducing the negative environmental impacts of marijuana farming.
blog post The Coming Groundwater Revolution By Lori Pottinger Jan 6, 2016 Pumping extra groundwater has gotten many California farmers through this drought. We talked to groundwater specialist Thomas Harter about managing this key resource for the long term.
Report Water and the Future of the San Joaquin Valley By Ellen Hanak, Alvar Escriva-Bou, Brian Gray, Sarge Green ... Feb 20, 2019 California’s largest agricultural region is in a time of great change and growing water stress. New cooperative approaches are needed to bring groundwater basins into balance, provide safe drinking water, and manage water and land to benefit people and nature.
blog post Paying for Groundwater Recharge By Andrew T. Fisher May 3, 2016 A pilot program to incentivize groundwater recharge near Monterey could be replicated across the state.
blog post Testimony: Implementing SGMA at Ground Zero—Challenges and Opportunities for the San Joaquin Valley By Ellen Hanak, Alvar Escriva-Bou Feb 15, 2022 PPIC Water Policy Center director Ellen Hanak testified before an informational hearing on the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act in Sacramento today (February 15, 2022). Read her prepared remarks.
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 Budgeting for Agricultural Sustainability and Resiliency By Lori Pottinger Jan 27, 2021 We talked to Karen Ross, secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture, about agricultural programs designed to build climate resilience and support farmers’ financial resilience and water security.