blog post Navigating the Hope (and Hype) around Solar Canals By Sarah Bardeen, Gokce Sencan Oct 11, 2023 Placing solar panels over canals is attracting attention in California. But will solar canals live up to the hype—and will they work in California? Turlock Irrigation District’s general manager, Michelle Reimers, tells us about a new pilot project that could answer some of these questions.
Explainer What’s Behind California’s Recent Population Decline—and Why It Matters By Hans Johnson, Eric McGhee, Carolyn Subramaniam, Vicki Hsieh Oct 2, 2023 California’s unprecedented population loss during the pandemic raises questions about what a shrinking or slowly growing population means for the state’s future.
blog post The Weird Weather of 2023: Better Get Used to It By Jeffrey Mount, Gokce Sencan, Michael Dettinger Sep 27, 2023 Water Year 2023 comes to an end on September 30. For most weather-watchers, this was an unusual year, with very wet conditions following several very dry years—but are the frequency and intensity of these variations increasing as the planet’s temperature rises? And if so, what might be the implications for water management? We take a look.
Report Managing Water and Farmland Transitions in the San Joaquin Valley By Ellen Hanak, Andrew Ayres, Caitlin Peterson, Alvar Escriva-Bou ... Sep 18, 2023 How can the San Joaquin Valley adapt to a future with less water? We’ve been researching this issue for the past seven years, and our new report presents highlights from we’ve learned, including a robust list of policy suggestions to help the valley weather—and make the most of—the coming changes.
blog post Exploring the Yurok Tribe’s Management of the Klamath River By Sarah Bardeen Sep 5, 2023 The Yurok Tribe is one of the few California tribes whose members still reside on a portion of their ancestral lands, including a 44-mile stretch bordering the Klamath River. The Yurok are deeply involved with efforts to protect the river’s watershed, so we asked one of the Tribe’s lawyers to tell us more about what they’re doing—and what challenges they face.
blog post Tropical Storm Hilary Wallops Southern California By Jeffrey Mount Aug 23, 2023 Tropical Storm Hilary hammered Southern California on Sunday, after making a destructive run over Baja California. The damage was real, but thankfully there was no loss of life. But there are a few things we do know—or can surmise—about why this rare event occurred, and the dangers such events will pose to California now and in the future.
blog post New State Budget Maintains Water and Natural Resources Funding in an Uncertain Economy By Gokce Sencan Aug 1, 2023 When it comes to state funding for water and natural resource projects, California has typically turned to general obligation bonds as the first resort. The historic budget surpluses of recent years have shaken up this long-standing arrangement, but is that funding source drying up?
blog post Climate Resilience Expert Letitia Grenier to Lead the PPIC Water Policy Center By Ellen Hanak, Tani Cantil-Sakauye Jul 24, 2023 We are thrilled to announce that senior scientist and climate resilience expert Letitia Grenier will join PPIC as the next director of the Water Policy Center. Letitia is currently the Resilient Landscapes Program director at the San Francisco Estuary Institute. She will assume her new role on September 25, 2023.
blog post From Litigation to Collaboration on the San Joaquin River By Molly Peterson, Sarah Bardeen Jul 18, 2023 The San Joaquin Valley is one of the most productive agricultural regions in the world, and much of its success comes from the waters of the San Joaquin River. Today, the challenge is how to undo some of the damage done to the river’s ecosystems—and how to reconnect the river to its many communities.
blog post Defining Community Is Slippery on the Eel River By Cameron Nielsen, Sarah Bardeen Jul 10, 2023 On paper, California’s Eel River is a prime candidate for restoration. So why is it so hard to get done? The answer lies partly in the dam’s history—but in large part, the challenge lies in the complexities of who exactly constitutes the river’s community. Finding a solution has implications not just for the state but for the nation.
