San Francisco Bay

The Science of Non-native Species in a Dynamic Delta

Delta Stewardship Council (Delta Council) | May 21st, 2022

Invasion of non-native species is one of the greatest global threats to the integrity of ecosystems and one of the five main drivers of ecosystem change. When a new speci

Invasion of non-native species is one of the greatest global threats to the integrity of ecosystems and one of the five main drivers of ecosystem change. When a new species becomes part of the ecosystem, it can alter the food web, nutrient and contaminant cycling, abundances of other species, and habitat structure. The resultant changes in ecosystem services (e.g. water quality, water flow, fisheries, endangered species) and even ecosystem stability can impact a broad range of stakeholders and impinge on the responsibilities of many government agencies. The California San Francisco Bay-Delta ecosystem is one of the world’s most invaded estuaries. Indeed, non-native species comprise much of today’s Delta ecosystem. Non-native species threaten the Delta Plan’s coequal goals of “protecting, restoring, and enhancing the Delta ecosystem,“ and “providing a more reliable water supply for California” as well as state and federal objectives for preserving native species and ecosystems. The Delta Reform Act of 2009 recognized the importance of this issue and stipulated that the Delta Plan should restore a healthy ecosystem by promoting “self-sustaining, diverse populations of native and valued species by reducing the risk of take and harm from invasive species.” Reducing the impact of non-native species is also a core strategy highlighted in the Ecosystem Amendment to California’s Delta Plan.

The State Water Project’s Strategic Plan

California Department of Water Resources (DWR) | February 22nd, 2024

The strategic plan, Elevate to ’28, projects the trajectory for the SWP for the next five years.

The strategic plan, Elevate to ’28, projects the trajectory for the SWP for the next five years.

The Status of Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in the Stanislaus River Summary report of 2015 snorkel surveys

Delta Stewardship Council (Delta Council) | August 1st, 2016

The Steam Wells of California

Nature Portfolio (Springer Nature) | May 5th, 1928

The utilisation of the steam of the soffioni of Tuscany as a source of mechanical power has steadily developed since 1904 when the first pioneer experiments were

The utilisation of the steam of the soffioni of Tuscany as a source of mechanical power has steadily developed since 1904 when the first pioneer experiments were carried out at Larderello by Prince Ginori Conti. The remarkable results which have since been achieved were described in NATURE of Jan. 14 last. Similar sources of geothermal energy were first tapped in California in 1921, and since then several deep wells have been successfully sunk, some of them being superior both in pressure and steam output to any yet reported from Italy. The active region is known as ‘The Geysers,’ and lies on the western side of the St. Helena Range, one of the coast ranges of California. Along a line some twentyfive miles in length, which appears to mark a fault or shatter belt, hot springs, some of which are associated with quicksilver deposits, occur at intervals. There are no actual geysers at ‘The Geysers,’ but over an area of thirty-five acres the ground is dotted with hot springs and fumaroles and salt patches, and steam and gases are constantly seeping through the surface. A thorough investigation of the locality has been made by Dr. E. T. Allen and Dr. A. L. Day, and the results, beautifully published by the Carnegie Institution of Washington,1 add very materially to our knowledge of subterranean supplies of magmatic steam.

The Twin Tunnels: Ruinous to Ratepayers, Catastrophic for the Environment

California Water Impact Network (C-WIN) | January 1st, 2014

Water is California’s most essential resource. It is limited in availability—in some years, extremely limited, forcing devastating delivery cut-backs to cities, farms

Water is California’s most essential resource. It is limited in availability—in some years, extremely limited, forcing devastating delivery cut-backs to cities, farms and the environment. A recent paper in Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment concludes that the average flow in the Sacramento River—the state’s major source for developed surface water—could decrease by 20 percent by 2050 largely due to climate change. By that same year, California’s population is expected to top 50 million, up from the current figure of 38 million. In other words, our water supplies will dwindle as our population burgeons. Meanwhile, the state’s water delivery policies are already demonstrably incapable of providing water to citizens, agriculture and commerce while simultaneously sustaining essential ecosystems. In response, Governor Jerry Brown and his allies in the state legislature and agribusiness are promoting the “Twin Tunnels” boondoggle: a massive conveyance system that will shunt water under the Sacramento/San Joaquin Delta to the south state.

The Unaffordable and Unsustainable Twin Tunnels: Why the Santa Barbara Experience Matters

California Water Impact Network (C-WIN) | July 1st, 2016

PURPOSE OF THIS REPORT 1. Examine the deficiencies and cost impacts of Governor Brown's Twin Tunnels/CA WaterFix, illustrating the untenable financial burden these pro

PURPOSE OF THIS REPORT 1. Examine the deficiencies and cost impacts of Governor Brown's Twin Tunnels/CA WaterFix, illustrating the untenable financial burden these proposals place on local water agencies and ratepayers; 2. Highlight that the Tunnels/CA WaterFix will not provide more water when needed, i.e., during drought; 3. Explain the unintended consequences of participation in the State Water Project (SWP) utilizing the experience of Santa Barbara County as an example of the statewide problem; 4. Highlight the exorbitant cost and unreliability of importing water from the State Water Project (SWP) to the communities of Santa Barbara's South Coast.

The Untapped Potential of California’s Urban Water Supply: Water Efficiency, Water Reuse, and Stormwater Capture

Pacific Institute | April 12th, 2022

In this assessment, we quantify the potential for a range of water strategies in urbanized parts of California to both reduce inefficient and wasteful water uses and expa

In this assessment, we quantify the potential for a range of water strategies in urbanized parts of California to both reduce inefficient and wasteful water uses and expand local water supplies. This assessment finds that urban water-use efficiency improvements could reduce statewide urban water use by 2.0 million to 3.1 million acre-feet per year (AFY). The reuse potential of municipal wastewater is 1.8 million to 2.1 million AFY, and the stormwater capture potential is 580,000 AFY in a dry year to as much as 3.0 million AFY in a wet year. Previous assessments have shown that these efficiency and supply options are more cost effective than traditional – and increasingly hard to implement – options to expand supply. Programs to tap this potential would tremendously help solve California’s long-standing water problems.

The Use of Smolt Survival Estimates to Quantify the Effects of Habitat Changes on Salmonid Stocks in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Rivers, California

Canada Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) | July 1st, 1989

The value of marsh restoration for flood risk reduction in an urban estuary

Nature Portfolio (Springer Nature) | March 21st, 2024

The Water Districts of California

Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA) | April 1st, 1979