blog post Paying for Groundwater Recharge By Andrew T. Fisher May 3, 2016 A pilot program to incentivize groundwater recharge near Monterey could be replicated across the state.
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 Drought: 10 Ways the Federal Government Can Help By Ellen Hanak, Jay Lund, Jeffrey Mount May 28, 2015 Here is a short list of things the federal government can do to help California get through this drought and better prepare for future droughts.
press release Economic Recovery Task Force Calls on State’s Leaders To Act with Unity, Urgency on a Plan For Federal Dollars Jan 6, 2009