Water and the COVID-19 Pandemic Impacts on Municipal Water Demand

Pacific Institute | July 2nd, 2020

Water and the Environment

American Geological Institute (AGI) | July 11th, 2002

When we turn the faucet on we expect clean water to come out, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Our expectations are so high that we have built large dams and associat

When we turn the faucet on we expect clean water to come out, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Our expectations are so high that we have built large dams and associated reservoirs, pumped large quantities of groundwater from aquifers, and constructed intricate water distribution systems to transport water from areas where it is located to where we prefer to live. We monitor the quality of our water and spend billion of dollars to treat it. In the United States, we have come to rely on good quality water and plenty of it; after all, water is essential to life. As a society, we depend upon water for many uses including irrigation, power generation, recreation, and transportation. But what happens when there is a drought, or even times when the supply of water is less than what we have become accustomed to? Or maybe there is too much water and it floods our home, farm, or city. What if the quality of our water is degraded and we can no longer use it for a desired purpose, or what if a dam is built across our favorite river or stream, changing its characteristics? How do natural or human-induced changes to water affect our lives as well as the plants and animals that also depend upon it for existence? This publication provides information about water, its importance, where it comes from, water-related environmental concerns, water protection, polices and regulations, and our future needs for water ... So pour a glass of water and read on.

Water and the Future of the San Joaquin Valley

Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) | February 14th, 2019

The San Joaquin Valley—California’s largest agricultural region and an important contributor to the nation’s food supply—is in a time of great change. The valle

The San Joaquin Valley—California’s largest agricultural region and an important contributor to the nation’s food supply—is in a time of great change. The 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. Local water supplies are limited, particularly in the southern half of the region. To irrigate their crops, many farmers use water imported from the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta. But in many places farmers have also relied on groundwater overdraft—pumping groundwater in excess of the rate at which it is replenished. Worsening droughts, increasing regulations to protect endangered native fishes, and growing demand by Southern California for Delta imports have compounded surface water scarcity. The state’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) requires local water users to bring groundwater use to sustainable levels by the early 2040s. This will have a broad impact on valley agriculture and the regional economy in coming years—likely including some permanent idling of farmland. This report explores three key challenges facing the San Joaquin Valley and reviews the most promising approaches to address them:  Balancing water supplies and demands. To close the groundwater deficit, groundwater sustainability agencies in the valley’s overdrafted basins will have to augment supplies, reduce demands, or use some combination of these two approaches. A range of options are under consideration but they are not equally effective or practical.  Addressing groundwater quality challenges. Poor groundwater quality impairs drinking water supplies in disadvantaged rural communities, reduces long-term agricultural prosperity, and degrades ecosystems. Providing safe drinking water is an urgent priority. Over the longer term, parties will also need to manage water quantity and quality together, to take advantage of synergies and avoid unintended consequences. The necessary coordination will be challenging because the various programs addressing valley water quality issues are carried out by numerous local and regional entities, whose lines of responsibility and geographic boundaries do not neatly align.  Fostering beneficial water and land use transitions. Effectively addressing water scarcity and the resulting land use changes in the San Joaquin Valley offers opportunities to put lands coming out of production to good use—and gain “more pop per drop” from limited water resources. Multiple-benefit approaches to water and land management can enhance groundwater recharge and improve air and water quality. They can also promote healthier soils, new recreational opportunities, additional flood protection, improved habitat, and new revenue streams for private landowners engaging in conservation-oriented management. Addressing these complex and intertwined issues requires significant changes in water and land management and a major ramp-up in cooperation and coordination among a wide circle of stakeholders. Pursuing solutions that deliver multiple benefits will boost the chances of success overall. The entire region—and California as a whole—will benefit if solutions to these challenges are cost-effective and support the valley’s economy while improving public health and the natural environment.

Water and Wastes: A Retrospective Assessment of Wastewater Technology in the United States, 1800-1932

Johns Hopkins University Press (Hopkins Press) | April 2nd, 1984

This article derives largely from our NSF report on wastewater technology. The specific objects of the research were to identify the processes and key decision points i

This article derives largely from our NSF report on wastewater technology. The specific objects of the research were to identify the processes and key decision points involved in the evolution of wastewater technology of human waste disposal, to explore both its primary and secondary social and institutional effects, and to examine the development of public policy toward water pollution problems. In addition, the report dealt with the role played by values in the implementation of technology, as well as the effect of the technology on values. The essential aims of the project were to increase our understanding of water-related environmental problems and to inform policymakers about the larger context of contemporary wastewater questions.

Water and wastewater infrastructure inequity in unincorporated communities

Nature Portfolio (Springer Nature) | December 3rd, 2024

Water availability and land subsidence in the Central Valley, California, USA

Hydrogeology Journal (Springer) | November 17th, 2015

The Central Valley in California (USA) covers about 52,000 km2 and is one of the most productive agricultural regions in the world. This agriculture relies heavily on sur

The Central Valley in California (USA) covers about 52,000 km2 and is one of the most productive agricultural regions in the world. This agriculture relies heavily on surface-water diversions and groundwater pumpage to meet irrigation water demand. Because the valley is semi-arid and surface-water availability varies substantially, agriculture relies heavily on local groundwater. In the southern two thirds of the valley, the San Joaquin Valley, historic and recent groundwater pumpage has caused significant and extensive drawdowns, aquifer-system compaction and subsidence. During recent drought periods (2007–2009 and 2012-present), groundwater pumping has increased owing to a combination of decreased surface-water availability and land-use changes. Declining groundwater levels, approaching or surpassing historical low levels, have caused accelerated and renewed compaction and subsidence that likely is mostly permanent. The subsidence has caused operational, maintenance, and construction-design problems for water-delivery and flood control canals in the San Joaquin Valley. Planning for the effects of continued subsidence in the area is important for water agencies. As land use, managed aquifer recharge, and surface-water availability continue to vary, long-term groundwater-level and subsidence monitoring and modelling are critical to understanding the dynamics of historical and continued groundwater use resulting in additional water-level and groundwater storage declines, and associated subsidence. Modeling tools such as the Central Valley Hydrologic Model can be used in the evaluation of management strategies to mitigate adverse impacts due to subsidence while also optimizing water availability. This knowledge will be critical for successful implementation of recent legislation aimed toward sustainable groundwater use. *Erratum: Water availability and land subsidence in the Central Valley, California, USA, Faunt, C.C., Sneed, M., Traum, J. et al. Hydrogeol J (2017) 25: 2215

Water availability and subsidence in California’s Central Valley

University of California, Davis (UC Davis) | September 5th, 2015

California’s Central Valley covers about 52,000 square kilometers (km2) and is one of the most productive agricultural regions in the world. More than 250 different c

California’s Central Valley covers about 52,000 square kilometers (km2) and is one of the most productive agricultural regions in the world. More than 250 different crops are grown in the broad alluvial filled structural trough, with an estimated value exceeding $20 billion per year (Faunt 2009) (Figure 1). Central Valley agriculture depends on state and federal water systems that divert surface water, predominantly originating from Sierra Nevada snowmelt, to agricultural fields. Because the valley is semi-arid and the availability of surface water varies substantially from year to year, season to season, and from north to south, agriculture, as it grew, developed a reliance on groundwater for irrigation.

Water Available for Replenishment 2018

California Department of Water Resources (DWR) | April 12th, 2018

Water Blueprint for the San Joaquin Valley Economic Impact Analysis: Phase One Results

Water Blueprint for San Joaquin Valley | February 15th, 2020

Water Budget Development for SGMA Compliance, Case Study: Ukiah Valley Groundwater Basin

Universities Council on Water Resources Journal of Contemporary Water Research & Education | December 28th, 2017

The Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) is the first comprehensive legislative effort to reform groundwater management in the state of California after years of

The Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) is the first comprehensive legislative effort to reform groundwater management in the state of California after years of uncoordinated and voluntary governance of this resource. The objective of this study is to: a) describe the SGMA in California, b) describe a method for estimating a water budget, and c) present the implementation of this method for the Ukiah Valley Groundwater Basin (UVGB). An estimated water budget, done on a monthly time step from 1991 to 2015, was developed in order to characterize the UVGB. Results suggest that the groundwater basin is not in overdraft, and that a portion of the Russian River is a gaining river (approximately 18,952 AF/y) from November to June, and a losing river (approximately 393 AF/y) from July to October. Furthermore, lateral groundwater movement is identified through the groundwater mass balance. Based on previous work and the results of this study, the observed later groundwater losses signify connectivity between the UVGB and the Sanel Valley Groundwater Basin (SVGB). Local groundwater managers and users can use this information to inform proposed action plans and monitoring protocols that will allow them to achieve and maintain groundwater sustainability in the UVGB by the year 2040.