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What Are Baseflow Droughts—and Why Should We Care?

By Sarah Bardeen

For the six months when California receives no rain, how do its rivers keep flowing? The answer is groundwater. But increasingly frequent and intense droughts are having unexpected effects on this vital resource. We speak with two experts to learn more.

blog post

What’s Worse Than a Flood? A Debris Flow

By Sarah Bardeen

Move over, floods—there’s a new natural disaster in town: debris flows. We know that debris flows can be even more destructive than floods, but what are they and why do they happen? We speak with expert Jimmy Guilinger to learn more.

Fact Sheet

Floods in California

By Jeffrey Mount, Gokce Sencan, Letitia Grenier

More than seven million Californians—one in five residents—live in areas at risk of flooding, and risks are growing. Improved land use planning, insurance, and innovative flood management can help.

blog post

Video: A Conversation with Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas

By Stephanie Barton

Speaker Robert Rivas talks with PPIC president and CEO Tani Cantil-Sakauye about his approach to leadership, some key legislative priorities, and how his personal history has shaped his views on public policy.

blog post

Making Sense of the Floods in San Diego

By Sarah Bardeen

The sudden deluge in San Diego last week has left some of that city’s communities reeling. But what actually caused the epic flooding—and could it have been avoided? We ask the experts.

blog post

Slowing Climate Change by Capturing Carbon

By Sarah Bardeen

Slashing greenhouse gas emissions is one of the 21st century’s most pressing tasks—and for difficult-to-cut emissions, direct air carbon capture could help. But what is this emerging technology, and how might it fit into California’s decarbonization strategy? We asked Roger Aines of Lawrence Livermore National Labs to tell us more.

blog post

A Look Back at 2023’s Volatile Year in Water

By Letitia Grenier

Volatility was the name of the game in 2023, as drought-weary California suddenly found itself inundated by atmospheric rivers—and the changes kept coming. We look back on California’s weird (and sometimes wonderful) year in water.

Report

Priorities for California’s Water

By Jeffrey Mount, Letitia Grenier, Ellen Hanak, Caitlin Peterson ...

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 2023 water year—and what lessons can we glean for the future?

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