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Independent, objective, nonpartisan research
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PPIC Water Policy Center

The PPIC Water Policy Center spurs innovative water management solutions that support a healthy economy, environment, and society—now and for future generations.

photo - Lake Oroville Aerial with Boats
Report · November 2021

Priorities for California’s Water

photo - Downtown Skyline Fresno, California
Report · September 2021

Groundwater and Urban Growth in the San Joaquin Valley

photo - California Aqueduct Glistens at Dawn
Report · September 2021

Improving California’s Water Market

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Blog Posts

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photo - A Wild Salmon Jumping Out of Water
January 18, 2022

A Freezer Full of Eyeballs (and Other Oddities) Animate the Quest to Save California’s Salmon

Sarah Bardeen

photo - Tractor Silhouette
January 10, 2022

Dangers Lurk in the San Joaquin Valley’s Dust

Sarah Bardeen

photo - Truckee River after Winter Storm, Pixel CA DWR-2021_12_10_KG_2243_snow_Truckee
January 3, 2022

Water in 2021: Looking Back on a Year of Extremes

Ellen Hanak

photo - Path through Redwood Forest
December 16, 2021

2021 Year in Review

Mark Baldassare

image - Echo Park Lake and Neighborhood with Downtown Los Angeles in Background
December 13, 2021

Are California’s Cities Conserving Enough Water?

Alvar Escriva-Bou, Kurt Schwabe, Annabelle Rosser

Events

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Seizing the Drought: Water Priorities for Our Changing Climate

November 15, 16, and 17

Groundwater and Urban Growth in the San Joaquin Valley

September 30, 2021

Improving California’s Water Market

September 23, 2021

Fact Sheets

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photo - Irrigation Canal and Agricultural Land
August 2021

California’s Water Market

Ellen Hanak, Gokce Sencan, Andrew Ayres

photo - Recharge Pond
August 2021

Groundwater Recharge in California

Alvar Escriva-Bou, Gokce Sencan, Ellen Hanak

photo - Subsidence Repair on Aqueduct in Kern County, California - Pixel CA DWR AI_Subsidence_0000_03_09_0243
May 2021

Paying for California’s Water System

Caitrin Chappelle, Ellen Hanak, Annabelle Rosser

Featured Blog Post · October 18, 2021

Video: Managing Water in a Changing Climate

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Key Areas

Fact Cards

Who uses water in California?
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240+ The number of endangered or vulnerable California freshwater species.
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Most California water systems that fail to meet safety standards are in rural, low-income communities of color.
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California added more than 10 million people since 1990, yet urban water use changed little.
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The past 20 years have been the warmest in California history, making droughts more intense.
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Two-thirds of dams in California are more than 50 years old.
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1 in 5 Californians are vulnerable to flooding.
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