blog post Water Management’s High-Tech Future By Lori Pottinger Sep 3, 2015 California’s urban water managers face some daunting challenges. We explore cutting edge advances to improve how cities manage water in an interview with Newsha Ajami.
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.
blog post Video: Water in Silicon Valley By Caitrin Chappelle Apr 30, 2015 As Silicon Valley has transitioned from fruits and nuts to bits and bytes, its water challenges have evolved—along with the approaches to dealing with them.
blog post Five Things You Need to Know About Water By Ellen Hanak Apr 6, 2015 Five immutable facts about California water guide the work of the PPIC Water Policy Center.
blog post Drought Watch: Priorities for Cities and Farms By Ellen Hanak, Jeffrey Mount Mar 18, 2015 Cities need to do more to reduce landscape irrigation. For farmers, the options are somewhat different.
Report Policy Priorities for Managing Drought By Ellen Hanak, Jay Lund, Jeffrey Mount, Peter Moyle ... Mar 16, 2015 State, federal, and local water managers have worked diligently to reduce the economic, social, and environmental harm from the current drought. But as the drought continues, the challenges will grow more acute. California can learn from experiences to date—and from Australia’s response to its Millennium Drought—to better prepare both for the year ahead and for future droughts. State leaders should address weaknesses in four areas of drought preparation and response, by: 1) improving water use information, 2) setting clear goals and priorities for public health and the environment, 3) promoting water conservation and more resilient water supplies, and 4) strengthening environmental management.
blog post Drought Watch: California as a Testing Ground By Ellen Hanak Oct 15, 2014 At an international consortium on water policy research, PPIC’s Ellen Hanak talked about lessons from California for other regions of the world.
blog post Drought Watch: Water for the Environment By Jeffrey Mount, Emma Freeman Jul 24, 2014 This is part of a continuing series on the impact of the drought. Most of what we call "environmental" water is simply too remote for people to use—or is actually reused for irrigation, drinking water, or other human benefits.
blog post Drought Watch: Harnessing the Storms By Ellen Hanak, Jeffrey Mount Mar 5, 2014 This is part of a continuing series on the impact of the drought.As officials pointed out during and after this wet interlude, it helped, but it was not a drought buster. So where did all that rain go and did we miss an opportunity to improve our water supplies?
