The California Water Plan: Projected Use and Available Water Supplies to 2010

California Department of Water Resources (DWR) | December 15th, 1983

The Central Valley Project - Federal or State?

University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley) | June 1st, 1955

The Delta Plan: Ensuring a reliable water supply for California, a healthy Delta ecosystem, and a place of enduring value

Delta Stewardship Council (Delta Council) | May 16th, 2013

The Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta is the grand confluence of California’s waters, the place where the state’s largest rivers merge in a web of channels—and in

The Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta is the grand confluence of California’s waters, the place where the state’s largest rivers merge in a web of channels—and in a maze of controversy. The Delta is a zone where the wants of a modern society come into collision with each other and with the stubborn limitations of a natural system. In 2009, seeking an end to decades of conflict over water, the Legislature established the Delta Stewardship Council with a mandate to resolve long-standing issues. The first step toward that resolution is the document you have before you, the Delta Plan.

The Economic Impact of the Westlands Water District on the Local and Regional Economy

Westlands Water District | October 11th, 2016

To anyone who visits the Westlands Water District (the District), the one reality that is most obvious to the observer is that agriculture IS the economy in the communiti

To anyone who visits the Westlands Water District (the District), the one reality that is most obvious to the observer is that agriculture IS the economy in the communities within and immediately surrounding the Westlands Water District. It is an area characterized by wide open fields-often populated with crops and occasional small pockets of residential and (rarer) retail-usually at the intersections of roads. Not only is agriculture the primary employer, but government, agricultural support industries and the limited general retail sector comprise the full course of jobs within the district and its immediate environs. Nearly every business in the district is related to agriculture or supporting the needs of the workers who support those working in agriculture. Westlands Water District is perched on the eastern side of Interstate 5 in the Central Valley covering the geography between roughly Kettleman City in the south and Firebaugh in the north. As the largest agricultural water district in the nation, it plays a central role in the economies of both Fresno and Kings Counties. This analysis unravels the story of Westlands' contributions to the local economy, exploring the demographics and economy of the region, agriculture's major role in that economy, estimating the economic contributions of growers within the District's boundaries, and providing a preliminary assessment of the consequences of current water policies on crop production, and giving a preview of what some of the implications of those changes may be.

The Economic Impact on the Local Economy of Irrigated Agriculture in the Paso Robles Area and Potential Impacts of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act

California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (CSU) | August 26th, 2020

The purpose of this study is to analyze the economic impact of the agricultural and wine industry within the Paso Robles Subbasin and AVA and San Luis Obispo County and t

The purpose of this study is to analyze the economic impact of the agricultural and wine industry within the Paso Robles Subbasin and AVA and San Luis Obispo County and to assess the economic impact of potential changes in the agricultural industry as a result of the Paso Robles Subbasin Groundwater Sustainability Plan that will reduce water allocations and/or increase the cost of water in the basin from 2020 – 2040 and beyond.

The Effect of Declining Groundwater Levels on Supply Well Operations

University of California, Davis (UC Davis) | August 15th, 2016

This report explores the impact of droughts on domestic and irrigation well operations. Well completion reports and groundwater depth data obtained from the Department of

This report explores the impact of droughts on domestic and irrigation well operations. Well completion reports and groundwater depth data obtained from the Department of Water Resources were used in the analysis. The percentages of wells in which the top, middle or bottom of the screened interval became exposed above the pumping water level were calculated and implied maintenance or replacement costs were estimated. Increases in pumping costs from greater depths to groundwater were estimated as well. For our case study, we selected a 27 square mile area in Tulare County, where the California Department of Water Resources has determined that groundwater is in a state of critical overdraft and designated the basin as High Priority under the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act. Results indicate that for the 2015 drought, there was significant potential for incurring well maintenance and replacement costs as a result of drought conditions and water levels approaching critical points in the screened intervals. While the assumptions associated with the current method appear to result in overestimation of impacts, the current drought may have resulted in several million dollars in well maintenance and replacement costs. For irrigation wells that remained in operation, increased depths to groundwater would increase overall pumping costs. About $5.31 per acre ($1.7 per acre-foot) were estimated as increased pumping costs in the recent 2012-2015 drought. While these costs are not large on a per acre basis, they may be significant when incurred across large agricultural areas. This proof of concept analysis highlights the value of information on groundwater levels and well constructions for estimating impacts of droughts on long term groundwater pumping capacity and operation. This analysis can be extended for the entire Central Valley in an effort to quantify the impacts of drought and the importance of groundwater management.

The Essential Role of Local Context in Shaping Risk and Risk Reduction Strategies for Snowmelt-Dependent Irrigated Agriculture

American Geophysical Union (AGU) | June 11th, 2024

The Evolution of Metropolitan’s Agricultural Partnerships

Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD) | August 5th, 2022

The Future of Agriculture in the San Joaquin Valley

Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) | February 9th, 2023

The global threat of drying lands: Regional and global aridity trends and future projections

United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification | December 9th, 2024

Most of the world’s land—more than three-quarters—has become permanently dryer in recent decades. A combined global area equal to half the size of Australia has tra

Most of the world’s land—more than three-quarters—has become permanently dryer in recent decades. A combined global area equal to half the size of Australia has transformed from humid lands to drylands with less rain for crops, pastures, nature and people. These stark statistics are among the many grim revelations from new analyses revealed in this groundbreaking report. For the first time, scientists within UNCCD Science-Policy Interface have clearly documented current and future drying trends and impacts that reveal a global, existential peril previously shrouded by a fog of scientific uncertainty. Its name is aridity—the climatic and enduring condition of too little life-supporting moisture—and its effects threaten the lives and livelihoods of billions across almost every region of the globe.