Preseason Report I Stock Abundance Analysis and Environmental Assessment Part 1 for 2019 Ocean Salmon Fishery Regulations (PRE I)

Pacific Fishery Management Council | March 1st, 2019

Preseason Report II Proposed Alternatives and Environmental Assessment Part 2 for 2019 Ocean Salmon Fishery Regulations (PRE II)

Pacific Fishery Management Council | March 21st, 2019

Preseason Report III Council Adopted Management Measures and Environmental Assessment Part 3 for 2019 Ocean Salmon Fishery Regulations (PRE III)

Pacific Fishery Management Council | April 30th, 2019

Pricing Practices in the Electricity Sector to Promote Conservation and Efficiency: Lessons for the Water Sector

Pacific Institute | September 11th, 2013

Because water utilities are dependent on the sale of water to recoup costs, reduced sales can result in deficits – and per capita water demand in California has been st

Because water utilities are dependent on the sale of water to recoup costs, reduced sales can result in deficits – and per capita water demand in California has been stagnant or decreasing for the past several decades. Over the coming years, California municipal water utilities are required to reduce water use by 20%. Thus, the “new normal” or an era of declining demand and rising costs is a trend that is likely to continue. Water utilities can learn from a number of electricity pricing practices to help adapt to this “new normal” while staying fiscally solvent and providing fair prices. “California’s energy sector has implemented many pricing policies that seek to balance a commitment to energy conservation with utility financial health,” said Kristina Donnelly of the Pacific Institute, lead author of the report. “Both water and energy utilities are coping with similar financial challenges related to demand reductions and stand to benefit from a greater exchange of information and lessons learned.” In order to understand how some of these practices might be relevant to the water sector, the Pacific Institute examined a range of electricity pricing practices and policies that California electric utilities use to remain financially stable even when per capita demand is decreasing. The paper, Pricing Practices in the Electricity Sector to Promote Conservation and Efficiency: Lessons for the Water Sector, helps inform discussion at the local, regional, and state level about water pricing in light of recent and future reductions in water demand.

Primary Production in the Delta: Then and Now

University of California, Davis (UC Davis) | October 3rd, 2016

To evaluate the role of restoration in the recovery of the Delta ecosystem, we need to have clear targets and performance measures that directly assess ecosystem function

To evaluate the role of restoration in the recovery of the Delta ecosystem, we need to have clear targets and performance measures that directly assess ecosystem function. Primary production is a crucial ecosystem process, which directly limits the quality and quantity of food available for secondary consumers such as invertebrates and fish. The Delta has a low rate of primary production, but it is unclear whether this was always the case. Recent analyses from the Historical Ecology Team and Delta Landscapes Project provide quantitative comparisons of the areal extent of 14 habitat types in the modern Delta versus the historical Delta (pre-1850). Here we describe an approach for using these metrics of land use change to: (1) produce the first quantitative estimates of how Delta primary production and the relative contributions from five different producer groups have been altered by large-scale drainage and conversion to agriculture; (2) convert these production estimates into a common currency so the contributions of each producer group reflect their food quality and efficiency of transfer to consumers; and (3) use simple models to discover how tidal exchange between marshes and open water influences primary production and its consumption. Application of this approach could inform Delta management in two ways. First, it would provide a quantitative estimate of how large-scale conversion to agriculture has altered the Delta's capacity to produce food for native biota. Second, it would provide restoration practitioners with a new approach—based on ecosystem function—to evaluate the success of restoration projects and gauge the trajectory of ecological recovery in the Delta region.

Primary Production in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta: A Science Strategy to Quantify Change and Identify Future Potential

San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) | May 20th, 2019

Today’s Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta is an unusually low-productivity estuary. The constraints on primary production and the relative importance of different production

Today’s Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta is an unusually low-productivity estuary. The constraints on primary production and the relative importance of different production sources to the food web are major ecological uncertainties in the Delta system. Understanding how the extensive historical changes in the Delta landscape have altered primary production has the potential to inform restoration planning and management across the region.  The Delta Landscapes Project (SFEI-ASC 2014) has recently produced information that allows us, for the first time, to answer questions about historical primary production and carrying capacity from quantified changes in the areal extent and spatial configuration of habitat types in the Delta since the mid-19th century. Our focus is on estimating primary production because the potential capacity of ecosystems to support fish, bird and other wildlife populations is set by primary production – the supply of food required to produce animal biomass. 

Principles and Requirements for Federal Investments in Water Resources

Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) | March 22nd, 2013

Chapter I – Principles for Federal Investments in Water Resources 1. Purpose and Scope 2. The Federal Objective 3. Guiding Principles A. Healthy and Resilient Ecosy

Chapter I – Principles for Federal Investments in Water Resources 1. Purpose and Scope 2. The Federal Objective 3. Guiding Principles A. Healthy and Resilient Ecosystems B. Sustainable Economic Development C. Floodplains D. Public Safety E. Environmental Justice F. Watershed Approach Chapter II – Requirements 1. General Requirements A. Evaluation Framework B. Best Available Science and Commensurate Level of Detail C. Collaboration D. Risk & Uncertainty i. Climate Change ii. Future Land Use iii. Adaptive Management E. Water Use F. Nonstructural Approaches G. International Concerns H. Design of Alternatives I. Transparency in Decision Making J. Plan Selection 2. Interagency Guidelines 3. Effective Date 4. Approval

Principles for Agreement on Bay-Delta Standards Between the State of California and the Federal Government

California State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) | December 15th, 1994

In order to provide ecosystem protection for the Bay-Delta Estuary, representatives of the State and Federal governments and urban, agricultural and environmental interes

In order to provide ecosystem protection for the Bay-Delta Estuary, representatives of the State and Federal governments and urban, agricultural and environmental interests agree to the implementation of a Bay-Delta protection plan through the California State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) consistent with the following principles.These Principles describe changes to the California Urban Water Agency/-Agricultural Water Users (CUWAIAG) proposal as the base case for Bay-Delta protections, which are intended to be in force for three years, at which time they may be revised.

Priorities for California Water (2017)

Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) | October 13th, 2017

This past year was a prime example of California’s highly variable climate—and a precursor of the types of extremes that are expected to become more common. After fiv

This past year was a prime example of California’s highly variable climate—and a precursor of the types of extremes that are expected to become more common. After five years of drought exacerbated by record heat, 2017’s record rain and snow brought more challenges—stressing dams and levees, causing landslides, and adding fuel to fire-prone landscapes. Across California, leaders have responded with a number of policy and management reforms, including some that will help the state adapt to droughts and floods of the future. But there’s more work to be done. In this policy brief we outline issues that are front and center for managing California’s water supply and natural environment. We also suggest priorities for actions that would improve California’s water systems and better support the state’s residents, businesses, and ecosystems.

Priorities for California's Water: Responding to the Changing Climate

Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) | November 18th, 2021

Water is central to how California adapts to a changing climate. To those of us steeped in the complexities of managing the state’s water resources, the current fast-mo

Water is central to how California adapts to a changing climate. To those of us steeped in the complexities of managing the state’s water resources, the current fast-moving drought—coming on the heels of the record-breaking 2012–16 drought—is a stark reminder that we must accelerate preparation for the disruptive changes underway. Californians have taken steps to address major threats to our water resources. But a recent IPCC report underscored that the climate is changing faster than anticipated, and that many of these changes are already locked in. Rising temperatures are making our winters shorter and our droughts more intense, outpacing our ability to manage water supplies and the natural environment. We need to act with urgency to adapt to these changes. And we need to rethink how we store water. This brief examines how the current drought and a changing climate are affecting California’s ability to manage water and lays out priority actions to address major challenges—including some urgent short-term actions should the drought continue into next year.