blog post Operating Dams to Better Manage Big Storms Can Build Resiliency to Climate Extremes By Lori Pottinger Mar 8, 2021 California’s reservoirs are operated using outdated assumptions about climate. Advances in weather forecasting can improve how they manage big storms. We talked to Martin Ralph of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography about this approach.
blog post Video: Improving the Health of California’s Freshwater Ecosystems By Lori Pottinger, Ashlyn Perri Mar 1, 2021 California’s freshwater ecosystems are in poor health, and the current approach for managing them is not working. Jeff Mount, senior fellow at the PPIC Water Policy Center, describes a path for improving their condition to protect the benefits they bring.
blog post Accounting for a Decade of Headwater Forest Management By Henry McCann, Mingfei Xiong Feb 8, 2021 As California accelerates management of headwater forests to reduce wildfire risk, understanding past efforts is useful. Yet data on such work is lacking. PPIC did a basic accounting of the past decade of forest management, which has lessons for going forward.
blog post Video: Building Resilience for Cities and Farms with Water Partnerships By Lori Pottinger Feb 5, 2021 Moving from competition to cooperation can help solve water problems facing farms in the San Joaquin Valley and cities in Southern California. A panel of experts discussed how water partnerships can help address both regions’ needs.
blog post Commentary: Water Markets Can Reduce the Costs of Drought By Ellen Hanak Feb 1, 2021 California’s warming climate is making droughts more intense, complicating water management. A new water futures market provides a tool to insure against price shocks arising from drought-fueled shortages.
Report California’s Future: Water and a Changing Climate By Ellen Hanak, Caitrin Chappelle, Lori Pottinger, Jeffrey Mount Jan 15, 2021 The pandemic and its economic fallout are affecting many aspects of water management, while climate change has major implications. And a much-needed national conversation about racism has illuminated water equity issues—such as how we address climate change, safe drinking water, and water scarcity.
blog post Turning the Page on a Disruptive Year in the Water World By Ellen Hanak Jan 11, 2021 Ellen Hanak, director of the PPIC Water Policy Center, describes some of 2020’s more pressing water-world challenges, and the center’s response to them.
blog post A Wish List for Water Collaboration with the Biden‒Harris Administration By Lori Pottinger Jan 6, 2021 Cooperation between California and the federal government was at a low ebb over the past four years. A diverse group of experts discusses top water priorities for collaboration between the state and the new administration.
blog post Video: Building a Water-Resilient California By Lori Pottinger Nov 23, 2020 What are key California water priorities for the coming year, in light of ongoing disruptions from the pandemic, the recession, lingering drought, and a record-breaking fire season? Panels of experts discussed three top priorities.