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How Business and Government Might Solve the Freshwater Crisis—Together

By Sarah Bardeen

Does the public sector need the private sector’s help to address the freshwater crisis? That’s the thesis of Stanford law and environmental social sciences professor Barton “Buzz” Thompson’s provocative new book. We sat down with him to hear more.

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Video: Eel River—Reconnecting Salmon and People

By Sarah Bardeen, Cameron Nielsen

The Eel River once hosted one of California’s great salmon runs, but a combination of factors decimated those populations. Now, planned dam removals might help restore salmon—but how will these changes affect river communities? Filmmaker Cameron Nielsen spoke to people on all sides of the issue in this visually arresting short documentary

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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.

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Commentary: Californians Need to Do More to Prepare for Wet Years

By Letitia Grenier, Ellen Hanak

Climate change is supercharging the extremes of drought and flood in California. But our infrastructure and institutions remain woefully underprepared for rising flood risk and increasingly erratic rainfall. It’s time to take this threat—and this opportunity—seriously and accelerate preparations.

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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.

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New Progress in California Water Rights Reform

By Sarah Bardeen

Many have argued that California’s water rights laws are sorely in need of modernization. Is recent legislation taking a step in that direction? We spoke with two legal experts to find out.

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A Better Way to Promote Urban Water Conservation

By David Mitchell, Ellen Hanak

Californians have been making great strides in water conservation in recent years. Now the State Water Board is considering new urban water use regulations whose statewide costs would far exceed their benefits—and significantly impact affordability. Are there better approaches? We take a look.

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