Priorities for California’s Water

Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) | November 14th, 2022

This report considers the state of water in California: What changes are we seeing now, and what should we expect in the near future? Then it examines how these climate s

This report considers the state of water in California: What changes are we seeing now, and what should we expect in the near future? Then it examines how these climate shifts will impact urban and rural communities, agriculture, and the environment. Finally, it explores wet-year strategies that will help Californians get through the dry years.

Prioritizing Candidate Green Infrastructure Sites within the City of Ukiah: A Demonstration of the Site Locator Tool of GreenPlan-IT. Report prepared for the City of Ukiah Department of Public Works under Supplemental Environmental Project # R1-018-0024

San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) | April 1st, 2019

Green infrastructure (GI), also known as Low Impact Development (LID), has emerged as an integral aspect of multi-benefit, watershed approaches to address concerns about

Green infrastructure (GI), also known as Low Impact Development (LID), has emerged as an integral aspect of multi-benefit, watershed approaches to address concerns about stormwater quality and quantity in an urban environment. When carefully applied, GI installations, such as rain gardens, tree-well planters, and permeable pavement, can be cost-effective, resilient ways to manage storm water at its source with measurable, cumulative environmental and community benefits. 

Probabilistic Subsidence Forecast Model for the California Aqueduct Subsidence Program, San Joaquin Valley, California: Revision 1 Design Report

California Department of Water Resources (DWR) | October 4th, 2024

This report documents the development of a probabilistic subsidence forecast model for simulating a plausible range of future land-surface altitude conditions along the C

This report documents the development of a probabilistic subsidence forecast model for simulating a plausible range of future land-surface altitude conditions along the California Aqueduct (Aqueduct) and San Luis Canal in the San Joaquin Valley (SJV), with an emphasis on areas of localized subsidence (i.e., “subsidence bowls”). The model forecasts will be used to inform long-term planning and on-going analyses of potential investments needed to provide a suitable level of performance for the Aqueduct. The forecast model is primarily based on an empirical relationship between historical subsidence rates and annual water deliveries from the Central Valley Project (CVP) and State Water Project (SWP). A key assumption of the model is that the rate of groundwater overdraft, which contributes to loss of aquifer storage and permanent land subsidence, is correlated with CVP and SWP deliveries, and specifically with higher groundwater storage loss during severe drought years. Another key assumption is that the same rates of subsidence will continue even after groundwater levels decline and extraction may be coming from deeper parts of the aquifer system. If the geology and/or aquifer properties change dramatically in response, then these new conditions may have an unmodeled impact on future rates. 

Procedures to evaluate sea-level change: impacts, responses, and adaptation

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) | June 30th, 2014

Projected Changes in California’s Precipitation Intensity-Duration-Frequency Curves

California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) | August 15th, 2018

Traditionally, infrastructure design and rainfall-triggered landslide models rely on the notion of stationarity, which assumes that the statistics of hydroclimati

Traditionally, infrastructure design and rainfall-triggered landslide models rely on the notion of stationarity, which assumes that the statistics of hydroclimatic extremes (e.g., rainfall, streamflow, etc.) do not change significantly over time. However, during the last century, we have observed a warming climate with more intense precipitation extremes in some regions, likely due to increases in the water holding capacity of the atmosphere. Consequently, infrastructure and natural slopes will likely face more severe climatic conditions, with potential human and socioeconomic consequences. Here, we outline a framework for quantifying climate change impacts on natural and man-made infrastructure using bias-corrected multi-model simulations of historical and projected precipitation extremes. The approach evaluates changes in rainfall intensity-duration- frequency (IDF) curves and their uncertainty bounds using a non-stationary model based on Bayesian inference. We show that highly populated areas across California may experience extreme precipitation that is more intense and twice as frequent, relative to historical records, despite the expectation of unchanged annual mean precipitation. Since IDF curves are widely used for infrastructure design and risk assessment, the proposed framework offers an avenue for assessing infrastructure resilience and landslide hazard in a warming climate.

Record of Decision Friant-Kern Canal Middle Reach Capacity Correction Project

U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) | November 4th, 2020

The United States Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation), as the Federal lead agency under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and Fria

The United States Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation), as the Federal lead agency under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and Friant Water Authority (FWA) as the State lead agency under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), prepared the Friant-Kern Canal Middle Reach Capacity Correction Project (Project) Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report (EIS/EIR) to assess impacts of the Project. The Project is being proposed to restore the capacity of a 33-mile reach of the Friant-Kern Canal (FKC) to its original design and constructed conveyance capacity. Click here for a directory with links to the federal environmental documents for the Friant-Kern Canal Middle Reach Capacity Correction Project.

Redefining expectations for urban water supply systems to fight wildfires

Springer Nature | March 5th, 2025

When considering massive new costs for urban water systems to fight wildfires, we also need to look hard at the distribution of benefits from these investments, and desig

When considering massive new costs for urban water systems to fight wildfires, we also need to look hard at the distribution of benefits from these investments, and design legal and fiscal cost recovery mechanisms that align with those benefits. In the service area for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, greatly expanding capacity for water supply and fire-flow for the highest-elevation areas of the city would be delivering a benefit to communities that are much wealthier, on average, than the rest of the city. There is danger of placing a burden on less-resourced households to pay for the protection of well-resourced households, which would compound existing and profound environmental inequities in the city.

Reimagining Water Infrastructure in a Changing California

American Water Resources Association (AWRA) | April 15th, 2023

For much of the 20th century, California’s water supply strategy has relied on building large reservoirs and conveyance systems to store and divert surface water and dr

For much of the 20th century, California’s water supply strategy has relied on building large reservoirs and conveyance systems to store and divert surface water and drilling ever deeper wells to tap declining aquifers. This approach has brought many benefits but has also come at great social, economic, and environmental costs. Moreover, these traditional water supplies are tapped out. Even in wet years, the state’s major rivers are overallocated and major aquifers severely overdrafted. Dry years intensify these issues. Persistent water challenges, the severe drought, and the intensifying effects of climate change highlight the vulnerability of California’s water systems and the need for new approaches.

Report Card for California's Infrastructure 2019

American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) | May 9th, 2019

Report of Financial Consultants to State of California Department of Water Resources On Financial Aspects of Program for State Water Resources Development System

California Department of Water Resources (DWR) | October 26th, 1960