Inhabiting the Delta: A Landscape Approach to Transformative Socio-Ecological Restoration

University of California, Davis (UC Davis) | September 19th, 2017

Current legislation and plans for the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta (Delta) call for large-scale restoration of aquatic and terrestrial habitats, which will require sign

Current legislation and plans for the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta (Delta) call for large-scale restoration of aquatic and terrestrial habitats, which will require significant changes in waterways, land uses, and cultural patterns. These re-made landscapes will be subject to a variety of new human uses, which Delta planning and adaptive management literature has yet to adequately consider. Failing to account for human uses and evolving place values can lead to diminished performance and public support for Delta restoration efforts. Our empirical study examined restored and naturalized Delta landscapes using an integrative landscape approach that seeks to reconcile multiple goals and land-use agendas that span ecological, social, economic, and political domains. The research design consisted of six overlapping methods that included a planning, policy, and law review specific to the Delta; surveys and interviews with approximately 100 land managers, scientists, land-owners, law-enforcement personnel, agency representatives, and Delta residents; nine case studies of restored and naturalized delta landscapes; GIS mapping; and extensive field work. Findings derived from the synthesis of these methods show that human uses of the Delta’s re-wilded landscapes are diverse and pervasive. Given the infrastructural and urbanized context of the region, these environments are subject to multiple and sometimes conflicting uses, perceptions, and place values. Though these myriad uses cannot be fully predicted or controlled (nor should they be), findings showed that more proactive and inclusive planning for human uses can encourage or discourage particular uses while also building constituency, support, and active engagement in ecological restoration efforts. We conclude that reconciling human uses with ecological recovery in the Delta will require a more localized, multi-functional, and creative approach to designing and adaptively managing these emergent landscapes. We recommend that more resources and experimental prototyping be dedicated to such work.

Inventory of Recreation Facilities in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (2015)

Delta Protection Commission (DPC) | February 21st, 2017

The Delta Protection Commission (Commission) is committed to national recognition of the Delta as a diverse, accessible, modern recreation and tourism destination. The Co

The Delta Protection Commission (Commission) is committed to national recognition of the Delta as a diverse, accessible, modern recreation and tourism destination. The Commission has compiled the 2015 Inventory of Recreation Facilities in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta which represents the current recreation resources in the Legal Delta and its adjacent areas. The Inventory is a reference for the Commission, State and local agencies, and recreation providers in planning, developing, and promoting the Delta as a unique recreation and tourism destination.

Living with Water Scarcity

David Zetland | August 5th, 2014

“Don’t panic. It is easy to live with water scarcity. Use politics to allocate community water before using economics to ration commodity water," says author David Z

“Don’t panic. It is easy to live with water scarcity. Use politics to allocate community water before using economics to ration commodity water," says author David Zetland. Scarcity is a perception. Shortage is a fact. Most of us deal with scarcity every day. We spend our time going places, doing things and seeing people. We spend our money on products and services. We wouldn’t mind a bit more time and money, but at least we get some of what we want. Shortage is worse than scarcity because you can’t get any of what you want, even if you have time or money. Increasing water scarcity is forcing us to choose among competing wants. Some lucky people do not face these choices, but an increasing number do. Those people need to manage scarcity if they want to avoid shortage. This book is not about measuring scarcity, a perception that changes from one place to another and one community to another. This book describes appropriate solutions for living with—perhaps even thriving with — water scarcities in both quantity and quality.

Making Water Conservation a California Way of Life Proposed Regulation Review of the Water Board’s Standardized Regulatory Impact Analysis (SRIA)

Mesa Water District | September 28th, 2023

Measuring Progress Toward Universal Access to Water and Sanitation in California Defining Goals, Indicators, and Performance Measures

Pacific Institute | September 13th, 2018

Most people in California take for granted the water and sanitation in their homes. They turn the tap and clean, relatively inexpensive, abundant water flows out.

Most people in California take for granted the water and sanitation in their homes. They turn the tap and clean, relatively inexpensive, abundant water flows out. They flush the toilet, and waste vanishes. Yet there are communities in California who do not have these basic necessities in their homes. In January 2018, over half a million Californians were served by water utilities that were out of compliance with the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). The worst outbreak of Hepatitis A in recent memory occurred in 2016-2018 due to open defecation and lack of handwashing facilities for persons experiencing homelessness. California’s tribes continue to face problems of poor housing and water and sanitation service, with two-thirds of tribal communities reporting inadequate home plumbing in 2015. And the cost of water has increased for many, particularly among small and medium size systems, with 39 community water systems in the state charging more than $100 a month for 12 CCF of water. In response to the problem, California enacted the Human Right to Water in 2012, declaring that “Every human being has the right to safe, clean, affordable, and accessible water adequate for human consumption, cooking, and sanitary purposes.” The California State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board) further recognized the need to address water and sanitation for disadvantaged communities when it adopted a resolution directing staff to “develop performance measures for the evaluation of the board’s progress towards the realization of the human right to water, evaluate that progress, and explore ways to make that information more readily available to the public,” and to “work with... stakeholders to develop new or enhance existing systems to collect the data needed to identify and track communities that do not have, or are at risk of not having, safe, clean, affordable, and accessible water adequate for human consumption, cooking, and sanitary purposes.” This report offers a unified framework on how to measure progress toward universal access to water and sanitation in California.

Monitoring of Drought Awareness from Google Trends: A Case Study of the 2011–17 California Drought

American Meteorological Society (AMS) | April 1st, 2019

Navigating Transformations in 2023: The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California Year in Review

Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD) | April 13th, 2024

One Water LA 2040 Plan

City of Los Angeles | April 30th, 2018

The purpose of the One Water LA 2040 Plan (Plan) is to increase sustainable water management for the City of Los Angeles (City). The City launched One Water LA with two p

The purpose of the One Water LA 2040 Plan (Plan) is to increase sustainable water management for the City of Los Angeles (City). The City launched One Water LA with two primary goals: 1. Develop a vision and implementation strategy to more sustainably and cost-effectively manage water. 2. Identify ways for City departments and regional agencies to integrate their water management strategies. Los Angeles Sanitation (LASAN) and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) led the Plan's development, partnering with other City departments, regional agencies, academia, the business community, and other stakeholders. The Plan provides a comprehensive strategy for managing water in a more integrated, collaborative, and sustainable way through new project, program, and policy opportunities. The Implementation Strategy provides a roadmap to make the One Water LA Vision a reality. Additional water projects, programs, or policies that are the sole responsibility of one agency, including LADWP's aqueduct or groundwater remediation project, are contained in each agency's appropriate plans. This plan is divided into an Executive Summary and ten sections. Executive Summary Volume One: Summary Report Volume Two: Wastewater Facilities Plan Volume Three: Stormwater and Urban Runoff Facilities Plan Volume Four: Los Angeles River Flow Study Volume Five: Integration Opportunities Analysis Volume Six: Climate Risk and Resilience Assessment for Wastewater and Stormwater Infrastructure Volume Seven: Implementation Strategy Supporting Documents Volume Eight: Technical Support Materials Volume Nine: Stakeholder Engagement Materials, Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 Volume Ten: Programmatic Environmental Impact Report (in progress)

Outdoor Recreation and Water Resources Planning

American Geophysical Union (AGU) | January 1st, 1974

Published by the American Geophysical Union as part of the Water Resources Monograph Series, Volume 3. To a considerable extent this work might be taken to be a report

Published by the American Geophysical Union as part of the Water Resources Monograph Series, Volume 3. To a considerable extent this work might be taken to be a report of progress in the analysis of recreational use of water and the implications for water resources planning. There has been considerable progress in recent years in the development of methods, some of which are hopefully reflected in these pages, and increasingly there are likely gains to their greater application. A major purpose here is to present some of the issues and methods in a somewhat systematic way so as to provide better appraisal of both problems and progress.

Outreach and Engagement (Resource Management Strategy)

California Department of Water Resources (DWR) | July 29th, 2016

Outreach and engagement for water management in California is use of tools and practices by water agencies to facilitate contributions by public individuals and groups to

Outreach and engagement for water management in California is use of tools and practices by water agencies to facilitate contributions by public individuals and groups toward good water management outcomes. These contributions include: • Providing insight to decision-makers on the best approaches for water management. • Adopting water-wise practices. • Supporting activities that result in beneficial water management outcomes. • Promoting collaboration and interdisciplinary approaches to solving problems, as well as resolving conflicts and addressing multiple interests and needs. • Ensuring access to water management information and decision-making. For more than a century, California has benefitted from the exceptional technical knowledge used to select and build California’s significant water infrastructure. Water managers have relied on engineering expertise to achieve positive water outcomes and resolve problems. This approach worked well for meeting single-purpose engineering goals, which have supported a growing economy. Even so, some unintended consequences have been revealed. Over time, some water management projects have altered and degraded ecosystems and/or created social injustices as unintended byproducts. Because the water management profession remains primarily a technical discipline, and many agency staff are educated in engineering, economics, or law, these staff see their primary task as managing the physical system. Only later do they engage the public as a way of solving problems or developing policies and programs. As the demands on water management systems have increased and understanding of the complexity of the water systems has grown, the need for engineers and technical experts to engage others in achieving optimum results has become more apparent. Water managers’ new respect for the complexity of the ecosystems from which water projects draw has made them realize the need to access a broader range of expertise. Potential sources of expertise range from the close local knowledge of long-time residents of the area being altered by a water project (such as oral histories from local farms or recollections of historic streams, springs, and wells) to university scientists in disciplines (such as ecology) that have not always participated in water development and management. In addition, water managers are now developing new sophistication about the ways they can serve their communities. This goes beyond the traditional engineering approaches by bringing in expertise from other disciplines, such as economics, public health, and land use planning.