Tulare Lake

When is Groundwater Recharge a Beneficial Use of Surface Water?

University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley) | August 1st, 2018

Any diversion and use of surface water in California requires a water right. Today, to receive a new water right permit, an entity that wants to appropriate surface water

Any diversion and use of surface water in California requires a water right. Today, to receive a new water right permit, an entity that wants to appropriate surface water must file an application with the Board. The Board may only approve an application if it determines that the proposed use of the water is for a reasonable and beneficial purpose. Currently, there is uncertainty about whether—and, if so, under what circumstances—the Board will consider groundwater recharge to be a beneficial use of water. California law makes clear that the act of recharging groundwater, alone, is not a beneficial use of water. Instead, the specific purpose of the recharge is key.

White Wolf Subbasin Technical Report

Wheeler Ridge-Maricopa Water Storage District | March 16th, 2016

The purpose of the White Wolf Subbasin Technical Study (Study) is to support the basin boundary modification request (Request) being jointly submitted to DWR by Wheeler-R

The purpose of the White Wolf Subbasin Technical Study (Study) is to support the basin boundary modification request (Request) being jointly submitted to DWR by Wheeler-Ridge Maricopa Water Storage District (WRMWSD), Arvin-Edison Water Storage District (AEWSD), and Tejon-Castac Water District (TCWD) (collectively referred to as the Districts), in accordance with the Basin Boundary Emergency Regulations. Request is a scientific request that involves the subdivision of the Kern County Subbasin of the San Joaquin Valley Groundwater Basin (DWR Basin 5-22.14) into two separate subbasins: the Kern County Subbasin and the White Wolf Subbasin (Subbasin). As shown on Figure 1, the proposed revision divides the subbasins along the White Wolf Fault (WWF), relying upon scientific evidence that demonstrates that the WWF provides a significant impediment to groundwater flow.

Who makes decisions about California's water?

Restore the Delta | January 9th, 2023

This project collected and created data on California's water managers at the state, local and individual level to determine their race and gender. At the State level, we

This project collected and created data on California's water managers at the state, local and individual level to determine their race and gender. At the State level, we used the State Workforce Analysis to examine the race and gender of water-related state executives. At the local level, we coded about 1500 directors of water agencies for race and gender and then compared each board to the race and gender of the agency service areas. At the individual level, we coded nearly 14,000 individual rights holders for race. The results were not surprising. At every level, the people who make decisions about California's water are more white and more male than the population of California. At the local agency level, boards of directors are 86% White and 79% male. At the individual level, 91% of small named water rights holders have last names that code as White.

Why People Adopt Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Reduction Behaviors: Integrated Model of Risk Communication and Results from Hurricanes, Floods, and Wildfires

American Meteorological Society (AMS) | November 1st, 2022

With climate change, weather and climate disaster risks are increasing. At-risk individuals can take climate adaptation and disaster risk reduction behaviors to mitigate

With climate change, weather and climate disaster risks are increasing. At-risk individuals can take climate adaptation and disaster risk reduction behaviors to mitigate and prepare for disaster risks, reduce costs from damage, and save their lives. However, previous fragmented studies have not provided an integrated model to directly compare the factors and identify factors that are most influential in at-risk community members’ behaviors. I present the Integrated Model of Risk Communication by consolidating major theories. This study uses structural equation modeling of quantitative surveys to simultaneously test the impacts of 15 factors on 15 adaptation behaviors for the two most common federally declared disasters (wildfires and hurricanes with floods) in three disaster-prone U.S. states (California, Florida, and Texas) (N = 3,468). Specifically, this study examines 15 behaviors including preparedness, nonstructural mitigation, structural mitigation, insurance purchase, and adaptation policy support. Social norms perceptions, self-efficacy, response efficacy, and resource constraints strongly affect behaviors. Response efficacy strongly affects policy support. Risk perception, knowledge, and climate change perception—commonly argued to be key drivers—are insignificant or weak. The models explain 55%–86% of the variance in adaptation behaviors. Results suggest that the focus of adaptation efforts may need to shift from risk perception and climate change perception to efficacy and social norms.

Widespread aquifer depressurization after a century of intensive groundwater use in USA

American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) | September 15th, 2023

Widespread Increase in Atmospheric River Frequency and Impacts Over the 20th Century

American Geophysical Union (AGU) | December 11th, 2025

Atmospheric rivers (ARs) are long, narrow regions of atmospheric moisture transport that provide water resources to many regions, but can also cause hazards such as extre

Atmospheric rivers (ARs) are long, narrow regions of atmospheric moisture transport that provide water resources to many regions, but can also cause hazards such as extreme rainfall and moist heatwaves. Despite their importance, there is uncertainty about how the frequency and impacts of ARs may be changing with time. Our study extends the global record of AR activity back to 1940. We find that the frequency of ARs has increased broadly across the midlatitude regions, rather than shifting polewards as observed in recent decades. This increase in AR frequency leads to more rain and snow associated with these features in both the mid‐ and high‐latitudes. We also find that there is an increase in humid heatwaves associated with ARs over the same period

Wildfire Induces Changes in Receiving Waters: A Review With Considerations for Water Quality Management

American Geophysical Union (AGU) | September 15th, 2022

Wildfires have increased in frequency in many ecosystems, with implications for human health and the environment, including water quality. Increased fire frequency and ur

Wildfires have increased in frequency in many ecosystems, with implications for human health and the environment, including water quality. Increased fire frequency and urbanization also raise the prospect of fires burning into urban areas, mobilizing pollutants few have considered to date. As a result, water quality managers lack information to anticipate, respond to and potentially mitigate wildfire impacts. Here, we reviewed the scientific literature to assess wildfire effects on response endpoints of a conceptual model linking fire to water quality, quantifying response directionality, magnitude and duration. Physically, water yield, sediments, and temperature all increased post-fire. Chemically, nutrients, ions, organic chemicals, and metals increased in burned watersheds, sometimes by orders of magnitude over pre-fire or reference conditions. In select cases, post-fire concentrations exceeded aquatic life criteria or drinking water standards, at times even in the finished drinking water. Biological assemblages commonly declined after post-fire runoff events. The duration of effects was less than 5 yr for most endpoints (e.g., metals) on average following fire, although effects did extend 15 yr or more in some individual cases. We found only a few studies on pollutants mobilized from wildfire impacted urban areas with benzene contamination in drinking water and high metal concentrations in ash prominent exceptions. Overall, this review provides a resource for understanding wildfire impacts on water quality endpoints, with the goal of informing the response of managers and other decision makers to this growing problem.

Willingness to Pay to Protect Wetlands and Reduce Wildlife Contamination from Agricultural Drainage

Springer | December 2nd, 1991

This chapter presents the results of a survey of the general population in California regarding their willingness to pay for alternative programs to protect and expand we

This chapter presents the results of a survey of the general population in California regarding their willingness to pay for alternative programs to protect and expand wetlands as well as reduce wildlife contamination in the San Joaquin Valley (Valley). The results of 803 completed interviews from 1,573 successfully contacted households indicate that Californians would pay $154 each year in higher taxes to purchase water to prevent a decrease in wetland acreage from 85,000 acres to 27,000 acres. This value rose to $254 to provide foran increase in wetland acreage to 125,000 acres with an associated 40 percent increase of bird populations. California households would pay $313 each year in additional taxes to implement agricultural drainage programs that would reduce waterbirds exposure to contamination from 70 percent to 20 percent exposure. The water management implication of these results is that Californians value clean water supplies for refuges at over $3 billion a year.