blog post Video: Meeting Water Challenges on the Central Coast By Lori Pottinger Aug 31, 2015 The Central Coast has long been self-sufficient in water supply, but the drought has tested the region’s independent streak.
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 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 Proposed Reservoirs Are No Panacea for Drought By Ellen Hanak, Jeffrey Mount Jul 6, 2015 New surface storage would add only modestly to the state’s water supply. Building drought resilience requires a much broader set of actions.
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 Testimony: Improvements Needed in Water Information By Ellen Hanak May 14, 2015 At a Senate committee hearing on the administration’s response to the drought, Ellen Hanak called for better data on water to improve water management.
blog post Video: Press Club Focuses on Water By Lori Pottinger May 5, 2015 The Sacramento Press Club hosted PPIC’s Water Policy Center director Ellen Hanak last week, who talked about the five things you need to know about water.
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.
