blog post Taking on Tough Challenges at the State Water Board By Lori Pottinger Oct 29, 2019 The State Water Board is at the center of many critical water challenges, from protecting water quality to addressing drought. We talked to board member Sean Maguire about current priorities.
Fact Sheet Water Use in California By Jeffrey Mount, Ellen Hanak, Caitlin Peterson Apr 19, 2023 To understand California’s water, start here. Water use in California varies dramatically between wet and dry years: learn who’s using California’s water, where, and how much.
blog post California’s Renters in the Dark on Drought Targets By Dean Bonner, Caitrin Chappelle Aug 6, 2015 Most Californians don’t know the details of the state’s mandatory water conservation requirements, but homeowners are twice as likely than renters to know how much they have to cut back.
blog post Central Coast a Microcosm of State Water Challenges By Lori Pottinger Aug 11, 2015 Water challenges around the state are in many ways place-specific, but the Central Coast offers some lessons for addressing dwindling water supply in times of drought. An interview with Richard Frank.
blog post How Does Cannabis Cultivation Affect California’s Water? By Sarah Bardeen, Lori Pottinger Jun 28, 2021 The number of cannabis farms in California has grown dramatically in recent years. How is this affecting the state’s water?
blog post New State and Federal Measures Aim to Manage Extreme Heat Risks By Gokce Sencan Nov 30, 2022 As climate change progresses, extreme heat events will become more frequent, more severe, and longer in duration. Several new state and federal programs aim to protect individuals and communities from the effects of extreme heat.
press release Recall of Newsom Still Falls Short of Majority; About Half of Likely Voters Do Not Currently Have Choice for Replacement Sep 1, 2021
Report Managing Water and Farmland Transitions in the San Joaquin Valley By Ellen Hanak, Andrew Ayres, Caitlin Peterson, Alvar Escriva-Bou ... Sep 18, 2023 How can the San Joaquin Valley adapt to a future with less water? We’ve been researching this issue for the past seven years, and our new report presents highlights from we’ve learned, including a robust list of policy suggestions to help the valley weather—and make the most of—the coming changes.
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.
