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Independent, objective, nonpartisan research
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PPIC Water Policy Center

San Joaquin Valley

The San Joaquin Valley is ground zero for many of California’s most difficult water management problems—including groundwater overdraft, drinking water contamination, and declines in habitat and native species.

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Report · November 2025

Priorities for California’s Water

photo - Aqueduct Irrigation Central Valley
Report · June 2025

How Much Water Is Available for Groundwater Recharge in the Central Valley?

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Policy Brief · June 2024

Policy Brief: Drought and Groundwater Sustainability in California’s Farming Regions

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Blog Posts

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April 27, 2026

What California’s Next Governor Needs to Know about Water

Letitia Grenier

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February 23, 2026

A Network of Wetlands Thrives in the Heart of the San Joaquin Valley

Sarah Bardeen

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November 18, 2025

How California Water Can Navigate a Changing Federal Partnership

Sarah Bardeen

Fact Sheets

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February 2026

Water Quality in California

Annalise Blum, Spencer Cole

photo - Merced River at Sunrise
January 2026

California’s Rivers and Streams

Jeffrey Mount, Annalise Blum, Ted Grantham

photo - tractor working on a melon farm
June 2024

Agricultural Land Use in California

Spencer Cole, Ellen Hanak, Caitlin Peterson

Videos

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San Joaquin Valley

photo - Olive Ranch in Bakersfield, California
Featured Policy Brief · February 2023

Policy Brief: The Future of Agriculture in the San Joaquin Valley

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