A Path Forward for California’s Freshwater Ecosystems

Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) | December 2nd, 2019

Californians rely on freshwater ecosystems for many things: water supply, hydropower, recreation, fisheries, flood risk reduction, biodiversity, and more. These ecosystem

Californians rely on freshwater ecosystems for many things: water supply, hydropower, recreation, fisheries, flood risk reduction, biodiversity, and more. These ecosystems—and the social, economic and environmental benefits they provide—are part of the state’s natural infrastructure. But they are changing in undesirable ways in response to water and land use, pollution, introduction of non-native species, and a changing climate. Declines in native biodiversity are the most direct measure of these changes, with numerous species now protected by state and federal endangered species acts (ESAs) and many times more likely to need protection in future.  For the past 40 years, the ESAs have played a prominent role in managing the state’s freshwater ecosystems. While this approach has prevented extinctions, it also places an emphasis on reducing harm to listed species, rather than improving overall ecosystem condition necessary to recover their populations. And these laws are not forward-looking enough to help species adapt to changing climate and reduce future species listings. This approach also fuels controversy and litigation due to perceptions about trade-offs between species protection and economic uses of land and water.  To maintain the benefits that Californians derive from their freshwater ecosystems—and arrest the decline of native biodiversity—a new approach is needed. We recommend that the state adopt the principles and practices of ecosystem-based management. This involves the simultaneous management of water, land, and organisms to achieve a desired ecosystem condition that benefits both native biodiversity and human well-being. The goal of ecosystem-based planning is to develop a shared vision for the ecosystem, agreement upon a common set of facts, and a unified plan to achieve it. We are not proposing major reforms to state or federal endangered species acts. Rather, we recommend a shift in the way these acts are implemented.  Ecosystem-based management relies on robust governance frameworks that are transparent, collaborative, and supported by science and secure funding. Many programs are starting to adopt its principles and practices, but much more needs to be done. Actions needed to achieve ecosystem-based objectives include setting aside water budgets for the environment and using this water to improve ecosystem condition and create multiple benefits. Binding comprehensive agreements between regulatory agencies, stakeholders, and water users—developed as part of sustainable watershed management plans—should guide implementation. These plans can be used to align agency actions and permitting and can be adopted by the State Water Board as water quality control plans.  California needs to change course in how it manages freshwater ecosystems to protect the many beneficial uses they provide. Ecosystem-based management offers a more comprehensive, flexible, and adaptive approach, and one that is compatible with existing laws. We believe this approach is better able to improve ecosystem outcomes that benefit both people and nature and respond to today’s challenges while preparing for an uncertain future. 

A Perspective on America's Vanishing Streams

Journal of the North American Benthological Society (University of Chicago Press) | March 1st, 1990

The free-flowing nature of streams in the U.S. has been dramatically altered over the past century, especially through construction of dams. The Nationwide Rivers Invento

The free-flowing nature of streams in the U.S. has been dramatically altered over the past century, especially through construction of dams. The Nationwide Rivers Inventory (NRI) estimated a total of 5,200,000 km of streams in the contiguous 48 states, but only 2% (<100,000 km) have sufficient high quality features to be worthy of federal protection status. The future of this dwindling number of high-quality streams is in doubt as proponents of development compete with conservation interests. Hydropower projects are projected to be built well into the future with a large increase in small projects (55% more than in 1988) even though the total generating capacity of the U.S. would increase only 0.3%. On the other hand, conservation efforts have resulted in increasing levels of federal protection of streams since the 1960s. "National River" or "Wild and Scenic River" status now provides protection for almost 16,000 km of streams, but only about 10% are found east of the Mississippi River. Analysis of the NRI database showed that the greatest quantity and density of high-quality streams are found in the south-Atlantic states, where streams have the least protection. The greatest number of NRI streams are found in the Coastal Plain and Central Lowland physiographic provinces. The NRI analysis showed only 42 high-quality, free-flowing (no major dams) rivers >200 km remaining in the 48 contiguous states. With continuing threats of exploitation, major conservation efforts are required to preserve these last free-flowing streams.

A Perspective on the Drought in California

Legislative Analyst's Office (LAO) | November 21st, 1991

Despite heavy rains in March 1991, California continues to face a serious near-term water problem resulting from five years of drought. In fact, the amount of water in st

Despite heavy rains in March 1991, California continues to face a serious near-term water problem resulting from five years of drought. In fact, the amount of water in storage on October 1, 1991 was about equal to the amount in storage one year ago—a year in which strict conservation measures were imposed in some areas and there were significant reductions in water supplies for many agricultural users. In this paper, we provide background information on California's water system, the impact of the drought, water needs in the future, and legislative options for coping with water supply limitations.

A pesticide and iPSC dopaminergic neuron screen identifies and classifies Parkinson-relevant pesticides

Nature Portfolio (Springer Nature) | May 16th, 2023

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a complex neurodegenerative disease with etiology rooted in genetic vulnerability and environmental factors. Here we combine quantitative ep

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a complex neurodegenerative disease with etiology rooted in genetic vulnerability and environmental factors. Here we combine quantitative epidemiologic study of pesticide exposures and PD with toxicity screening in dopaminergic neurons derived from PD patient induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) to identify Parkinson’s-relevant pesticides. Agricultural records enable investigation of 288 specific pesticides and PD risk in a comprehensive, pesticide-wide association study. We associate long-term exposure to 53 pesticides with PD and identify co-exposure profiles. We then employ a live-cell imaging screening paradigm exposing dopaminergic neurons to 39 PD-associated pesticides. We find that 10 pesticides are directly toxic to these neurons. Further, we analyze pesticides typically used in combinations in cotton farming, demonstrating that co-exposures result in greater toxicity than any single pesticide. We find trifluralin is a driver of toxicity to dopaminergic neurons and leads to mitochondrial dysfunction. Our paradigm may prove useful to mechanistically dissect pesticide exposures implicated in PD risk and guide agricultural policy.

A practical guide to environmental flows for policy and planning (with 9 case studies)

Nature Conservancy | May 18th, 2012

Environmental flows are gaining broad recognition across the United States, and the underlying science is sufficiently developed to support regional planning and policy a

Environmental flows are gaining broad recognition across the United States, and the underlying science is sufficiently developed to support regional planning and policy applications. This report explores how six states and three interstate river basins are effectively developing and applying regionalized environmental flow criteria to water resource planning, water withdrawal permitting, and multi-dam re-operation. The broad range of approaches they relate clearly demonstrates the feasibility of integrating science-based environmental flow needs into regional water management in the absence of site-specific assessments. The case studies embrace the following principles: • Regionalized environmental flow criteria apply to all the water bodies across a state or large river basin for which site-specific criteria have not yet been established. • Flow criteria link explicitly to the health of the entire aquatic and riparian ecosystem, and are not limited to specific species. • Flow regimes mimic natural inter- and intra-annual flow variability. • The development of environmental flow criteria and the policies for their implementation are closely linked.  Defining a clear path to policy implementation from the onset ensures that the ensuing science answers the right management questions. • Flow criteria are developed through a transparent, inclusive social process informed by sound science. A structured social process for identifying, understanding, and negotiating tradeoffs is critical. To varying degrees, the Ecological Limits of Hydrologic Alteration (ELOHA) framework influenced each of the case studies. ELOHA is a flexible framework for determining and implementing environmental flows at the regional scale using existing hydrologic and biological information. Major components of ELOHA include a hydrologic foundation of streamflow data, classification of natural river types, flow-ecology relationships associated with each river type, and river condition goals.

A Practitioner’s Guide to Instream Flow Transactions in California

American Rivers | March 1st, 2016

The purpose of this guide is to help water right holders –and those assisting them – understand their options for keeping water instream in California. Th

The purpose of this guide is to help water right holders –and those assisting them – understand their options for keeping water instream in California. This guide briefly describes some of the most common types of instream flow transactions (i.e., methods for restoring flow for environmental purposes), and discusses in detail how to navigate the process of completing an instream flow dedication by changing a water right, as permitted by Water Code Section 1707. The intended audience for this document includes both water rights holders and practitioners, such as staff for land trusts, water trusts, Resource Conservation Districts (RCDs), and other organizations. This guide focuses on instream dedications via the change petition process administered by the State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board). Other publications – for example, the Trust for Public Land’s Water Acquisition Handbook (2003) – provide a more general overview of acquiring water for environmental purposes in California. This guide will provide a description of the change petition process, and offer advice on how to navigate, troubleshoot, and work in partnership with the State Water Board and other natural resource agencies to complete an instream flow dedication.

A Preliminary Study of the Effects of Water Circulation in the San Francisco Bay Estuary

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) | July 15th, 1970

A Rapid Assessment Method to Identify Potential Groundwater Flooding Hotspots as Sea Levels Rise in Coastal Cities

Water, Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI) | October 25th, 2019

Sea level rise (SLR) will cause shallow unconfined coastal aquifers to rise. Rising groundwater can emerge as surface flooding and impact buried infrastructure, soil beh

Sea level rise (SLR) will cause shallow unconfined coastal aquifers to rise. Rising groundwater can emerge as surface flooding and impact buried infrastructure, soil behavior, human health, and nearshore ecosystems. Higher groundwater can also reduce infiltration rates for stormwater, adding to surface flooding problems. Levees and seawalls may not prevent these impacts. Pumping may accelerate land subsidence rates, thereby exacerbating flooding problems associated with SLR. Public agencies at all jurisdiction levels will need information regarding where groundwater impacts are likely to occur for development and infrastructure planning, as extreme precipitation events combine with SLR to drive more frequent flooding. We used empirical depth-to-water data and a digital elevation model of the San Francisco Bay Area to construct an interpolated surface of estimated minimum depth-to-water for 489 square kilometers along the San Francisco Bay shoreline. This rapid assessment approach identified key locations where more rigorous data collection and dynamic modeling is needed to identify risks and prevent impacts to health, buildings, and infrastructure, and develop adaptation strategies for SLR.

A rationale for effective post-fire debris flow mitigation within forested terrain

Geoenvironmental Disasters (Springer) | May 25th, 2018

Watersheds recently burned by wildfires are recognized as having an increased susceptibility to debris flow occurrence. The great majority occur within the first 2 years

Watersheds recently burned by wildfires are recognized as having an increased susceptibility to debris flow occurrence. The great majority occur within the first 2 years following wildfires. These debris flows are generated primarily through the process of progressive entrainment of material eroded from hillslopes and channels by surface runoff and appears independent of the vegetative community burned. The decreased likelihood of debris flows over time is linked to the restoration of hydrologic function as vegetative cover and soil infiltration functioning return to pre-fire conditions. An exception to this pattern of post-wildfire debris flow susceptibility occurs in burned drainage basins with forest cover. A second, later period of increased debris flow susceptibility due to infiltration-triggered landslides can occur in burned forested basins. This later period of debris flow susceptibility is largely attributable to the fire-induced tree mortality and subsequent decay of tree root networks decreasing soil strength on steep hillslopes which produces an increased likelihood of debris flow occurrence 3 to 10 or more years after the wildfire. Consequently, post-fire mitigation measures in forested terrain must address the risk posed by debris flows caused by progressive entrainment during the 2 years following the wildfire and debris flows due to infiltration-induced debris slides three or more years later. Mitigation for the later debris flows in forested terrain involves identification of areas with infiltration-induced debris slides coincident with concentrations of fire-killed trees. Timely reforestation of these areas after a wildfire limits the loss of soil strength from decaying roots.

A real-time groundwater management model using data assimilation

American Geophysical Union (AGU) | June 30th, 2011

We apply the proposed management model to the Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) Project of the Las Posas Groundwater Basin in southern California. The adapted nudging al

We apply the proposed management model to the Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) Project of the Las Posas Groundwater Basin in southern California. The adapted nudging algorithm is used to estimate the missing pumping rates of private wells. We then use the estimated pumping rates in a real-time groundwater management model to improve management decisions of the ASR well fields.