blog post Data Is Key to Protecting California’s Groundwater By Spencer Cole Jun 27, 2024 Implementing the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act has been no simple feat, yet one surprising ally has emerged in the struggle to restore California’s groundwater: data. Learn more about recent improvements and what they mean for water management!
data set PPIC Irrigated Crop Acreage, 2018–22 Jun 24, 2024 This dataset includes a summary of irrigated agricultural lands across California for the years 2018–22. It contains data, sources, and methods used in the June 2024 policy brief Drought and Groundwater Sustainability in California’s Farming Regions.
Fact Sheet Agricultural Land Use in California By Spencer Cole, Ellen Hanak, Caitlin Peterson Jun 24, 2024 About 40% of California’s land—roughly 40 million acres—is used for agriculture. But what does that mean for the state? Our new fact sheet takes advantage of brand-new data to show how the land is used in more detail than ever before.
Policy Brief Policy Brief: Drought and Groundwater Sustainability in California’s Farming Regions By Spencer Cole, Ellen Hanak, Alvar Escriva-Bou, Josué Medellín-Azuara Jun 24, 2024 As the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act approaches its tenth anniversary, it’s clear that California is making progress towards implementation—but the 2020–22 drought shows that much work still lies ahead.
Report Replenishing Groundwater in the San Joaquin Valley: 2024 Update By Caitlin Peterson, Ellen Hanak, Zaira Joaquín Morales Jun 5, 2024 How much progress has been made on groundwater recharge in the San Joaquin Valley since 2017? This report shares the details of our latest groundwater recharge survey, which we conducted in 2023.
event Stewarding California’s Wet Years Nov 14, 2023 California has made great strides in preparing for a drier, hotter future, but it remains a challenge to harness the bounty of wet years while also reducing flood risk. How did California’s water sector manage the unusually wet conditions of the 2023 water year—and what lessons can we glean for the future? We speak with three panels of experts to find out.
blog post Video: Managing Water and Farmland Transitions in the San Joaquin Valley By Sarah Bardeen Sep 26, 2023 For the past seven years, the PPIC Water Policy Center has been researching how the San Joaquin Valley can adapt to a future with less water. On September 20, we held a special half-day event that drew together an array of growers, water managers, agency staff, and others to discuss how to best manage the changes ahead. Read our writeup—and watch the videos!
blog post Commentary: Water-use Challenges Affecting Farmers Means Reinventing the San Joaquin Valley By Ellen Hanak, Caitlin Peterson Sep 26, 2023 To ensure the San Joaquin Valley’s future, groundwater overpumping has to end—and some 500,000 acres of farmland will likely need to come out of intensively irrigated production. But unplanned, haphazard fallowing would harm the valley. In our Fresno Bee commentary, we share insights on how to protect the valley’s residents, agriculture, and environment, drawing on over seven years of research.
