Cultivating climate resilience in California agriculture: Adaptations to an increasingly volatile water future

National Academy of Sciences (NAS) | July 29th, 2024

Cuyama Basin Groundwater Sustainability Plan

Cuyama Basin Groundwater Sustainability Agency (CBGSA) | December 4th, 2019

CV SALTS Prioritization & Optimization Study Year 1 Progress Report

Central Valley Salinity Alternatives for Long-Term Sustainability (CV-SALTS) | March 24th, 2023

CV-SALTS Central Valley Region Salt & Nitrate Control Program Surveillance and Monitoring Program

Central Valley Salinity Alternatives for Long-Term Sustainability (CV-SALTS) | February 3rd, 2023

The prioritized Nitrate Control Program and phased Salt Control Program are designed to address both legacy and ongoing salt and nitrate accumulation issues in groundwate

The prioritized Nitrate Control Program and phased Salt Control Program are designed to address both legacy and ongoing salt and nitrate accumulation issues in groundwater and salinity concerns in surface waters. However, the primary focus of early actions being implemented under the Nitrate Control Program (i.e., the first ten years) is on groundwater quality and in particular nitrate impacts to drinking water supplies. The overarching management goals and priorities of the SNCP are to: Ensure safe drinking water supply; Reduce salt and nitrate loading so that ongoing discharges neither threaten to degrade high quality waters absent appropriate findings by the Central Valley Board, nor cause or contribute to exceedances of water quality objectives; and Implement long-term, managed restoration of impaired waterbodies.

CV-SALTS Groundwater Sustainability Plan Data Collection - Pilot Study Results

Central Valley Salinity Alternatives for Long-Term Sustainability (CV-SALTS) | February 1st, 2024

The purpose of Prioritization & Optimization (P&O) Study Task 5.3 (Information Extraction from Groundwater Sustainability Plans [GSP]) is to extract and organize relevan

The purpose of Prioritization & Optimization (P&O) Study Task 5.3 (Information Extraction from Groundwater Sustainability Plans [GSP]) is to extract and organize relevant GSP data and information that can be used to (1) validate or refine information contained in the P&O Study’s CV-SWAT watershed model (developed to support ongoing baseline characterization work); (2) support the eventual development of salinity management alternatives within specified planning areas; and (3) help ensure that long-term Central Valley salt planning considers ongoing Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA) planning efforts, which is of particular interest to the State Water Resources Control Board.

CV-SALTS Modesto Management Zone Implementation Plan

Valley Water Collaborative | September 5th, 2023

The Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board (Central Valley Water Board) adopted amendments to the Water Quality Control Plan for the Sacramento River and San

The Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board (Central Valley Water Board) adopted amendments to the Water Quality Control Plan for the Sacramento River and San Joaquin River Basins and the Water Quality Control Plan for the Tulare Lake Basin (Basin Plans) to incorporate a Salt and Nitrate Control Program. The Nitrate Control Program is designed to achieve the following three management goals in the Central Valley Region: • Goal 1 – Ensure a safe drinking water supply; • Goal 2 – Reduce salt and nitrate loading so that ongoing discharges neither threaten to degrade high quality waters absent appropriate findings by the Central Valley Water Board nor cause or contribute to exceedances of water quality objectives; and, • Goal 3 – Implement long-term, managed restoration of impaired water bodies. Click here for CV-SALTS Priority 1 publication index

CV-SALTS Preliminary Management Zone Proposal for Priority 2 Management Zones

Valley Water Collaborative | December 30th, 2024

The Nitrate Control Program is designed to achieve the following three management goals in the Central Valley Region: Goal 1 – Ensure a safe drinking water

The Nitrate Control Program is designed to achieve the following three management goals in the Central Valley Region: Goal 1 – Ensure a safe drinking water supply; Goal 2 – Reduce salt and nitrate loading so that ongoing discharges neither threaten to degrade high quality waters absent appropriate findings by the Central Valley Water Board nor cause or contribute to exceedances of water quality objectives; and, Goal 3 – Implement long-term, managed restoration of impaired water bodies.

CV-SALTS Prioritization & Optimization Study: Final Baseline Characterization Report

Central Valley Salinity Alternatives for Long-Term Sustainability (CV-SALTS) | March 9th, 2024

The Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board (Central Valley Water Board) first adopted a three-phased Salt Control Program into the water quality regulations

The Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board (Central Valley Water Board) first adopted a three-phased Salt Control Program into the water quality regulations applicable to the Central Valley Region of California in 2018; these regulations were subsequently amended in 2020. Phase I of the Salt Control Program requires implementation of the Prioritization and Optimization (P&O) Study. The primary purposes of this Study are to characterize existing salinity conditions in surface water and groundwater in the Central Valley Region, establish appropriate salinity targets for the protection of beneficial uses, and facilitate the development of long-term salt management alternatives for implementation in Phases II and III of the Salt Control Program.

CV-SALTS Turlock Management Zone Implementation Plan

Valley Water Collaborative | September 5th, 2023

The Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board (Central Valley Water Board) adopted amendments to the Water Quality Control Plan for the Sacramento River and San

The Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board (Central Valley Water Board) adopted amendments to the Water Quality Control Plan for the Sacramento River and San Joaquin River Basins and the Water Quality Control Plan for the Tulare Lake Basin (BasinPlans) to incorporate a Salt and Nitrate Control Program. The Nitrate Control Program is designed to achieve the following three management goals in the Central Valley Region: • Goal 1 – Ensure a safe drinking water supply; • Goal 2 – Reduce salt and nitrate loading so that ongoing discharges neither threaten to degrade high quality waters absent appropriate findings by the Central Valley Water Board nor cause or contribute to exceedances of water quality objectives; and, • Goal 3 – Implement long-term, managed restoration of impaired water bodies. Click here for an index of CV-SALTS Management Zone publications

Deepening water scarcity in breadbasket nations

Nature Portfolio (Springer Nature) | January 28th, 2025

Water is crucial for meeting sustainability targets, but its unsustainable use threatens human wellbeing and the environment. Past assessments of water scarcity (i.e., wa

Water is crucial for meeting sustainability targets, but its unsustainable use threatens human wellbeing and the environment. Past assessments of water scarcity (i.e., water demand in exceedance of availability) have often been spatially coarse and temporally limited, reducing their utility for targeting interventions. Here we perform a detailed monthly sub-basin assessment of the evolution of blue (i.e., surface and ground) water scarcity (years 1980-2015) for the world’s three most populous countries – China, India, and the USA. Disaggregating by specific crops and sectors, we find that blue water demand rose by 60% (China), 71% (India), and 27% (USA), dominated by irrigation for a few key crops (alfalfa, maize, rice, wheat). We also find that unsustainable demand during peak months of use has increased by 101% (China), 82% (India), and 49% (USA) and that 32% (China), 61% (India), and 27% (US) of sub-basins experience at least 4 months of scarcity. These findings demonstrate that rising water demands are disproportionately being met by water resources in already stressed regions and provide a basis for targeting potential solutions that better balance the water needs of humanity and nature.