The Economy of the State Water Project

California Department of Water Resources (DWR) | December 14th, 2023

The State Water Project (SWP) is among the world's most extensive water conveyance projects, featuring a 705-mile-long network of dams, reservoirs, hydroelectric faciliti

The State Water Project (SWP) is among the world's most extensive water conveyance projects, featuring a 705-mile-long network of dams, reservoirs, hydroelectric facilities, pumping plants, and canals. The State Water Project plays a key role in the state’s economy. It supplies over 27 million Californians, a majority of the state’s population, along with commercial and industrial customers, including in the technology and manufacturing sectors, that account for a majority of the state’s economic activity. Project deliveries also supply water to the agricultural sector, supporting the cultivation of fruits, vegetables, and nuts, particularly in the Central Valley, the nation’s most productive agricultural region. This reliable water source not only ensures the livelihood of residents, businesses, and farmers but also contributes significantly to the state’s economy through technology, manufacturing, and agricultural exports. This report consolidates publicly available data from the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) and other agencies to provide policymakers with a comprehensive overview of the economy that is supported by the State Water Project.

The effect of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation on U.S. regional and coastal sea level

American Geophysical Union (AGU) | June 3rd, 2015

Although much of the focus on future sea level rise concerns the long-term trend associated with anthropogenic warming, on shorter time scales, internal climate variabil

Although much of the focus on future sea level rise concerns the long-term trend associated with anthropogenic warming, on shorter time scales, internal climate variability can contribute significantly to regional sea level. Such sea level variability should be taken into consideration when planning efforts to mitigate the effects of future sea level change. In this study, we quantify the contribution to regional sealevel of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). Through cyclostationary empirical orthogonal function analysis (CSEOF) of the long reconstructed sea level data set and of a set of U.S. tide gauges, two global modes dominated by Pacific Ocean variability are identified and related to ENSO and, by extension, the Pacific Decadal Oscillation. By estimating the combined contribution of these two modes to regional sealevel, we find that ENSO can contribute significantly on short time scales, with contributions of up to 20 cm along the west coast of the U.S. The CSEOF decomposition of the long tide gauge records around the U.S. highlights the influence of ENSO on the U.S. east coast. Tandem analyses of both the reconstructed and tidegauge records also examine the utility of the sea level reconstructions for near-coast studies.

The Enduring Role of Tribes in the Colorado River Basin

Water and Tribes Initiative | July 1st, 2019

The purpose of this policy brief is to explain the origin, rationale, and purpose of the Water & Tribes Initiative in the Colorado River Basin. As explained more fully be

The purpose of this policy brief is to explain the origin, rationale, and purpose of the Water & Tribes Initiative in the Colorado River Basin. As explained more fully below, the long-term objectives of this Initiative are to: • Enhance the capacity of tribes to advance their needs and interests with respect to water management in the basin; and • Advance sustainable water management through collaborative decision-making.

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 Evaporative Demand Drought Index. Part I: Linking Drought Evolution to Variations in Evaporative Demand

American Meteorological Society (AMS) | March 1st, 2016

Many operational drought indices focus primarily on precipitation and temperature when depicting hydroclimatic anomalies, and this perspective can be augmented by analys

Many operational drought indices focus primarily on precipitation and temperature when depicting hydroclimatic anomalies, and this perspective can be augmented by analyses and products that reflect the evaporative dynamics of drought. The linkage between atmospheric evaporative demand E0 and actual evapotranspiration (ET) is leveraged in a new drought index based solely on E0—the Evaporative Demand Drought Index (EDDI). EDDI measures the signal of drought through the response of E0 to surface drying anomalies that result from two distinct land surface–atmosphere interactions: 1) a complementary relationship between E0 and ET that develops under moisture limitations at the land surface, leading to ET declining and increasing E0, as in sustained droughts, and 2) parallel ET and E0 increases arising from increased energy availability that lead to surface moisture limitations, as in flash droughts. To calculate EDDI from E0, a longterm, daily reanalysis of reference ET estimated from the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) standardized reference ET equation using radiation and meteorological variables from the North American Land Data Assimilation System phase 2 (NLDAS-2) is used. EDDI is obtained by deriving empirical probabilities of aggregated E0 depths relative to their climatologic means across a user-specific time period and normalizing these probabilities. Positive EDDI values then indicate drier-than-normal conditions and the potential for drought. EDDI is a physically based, multiscalar drought index that that can serve as an indicator of both flash and sustained droughts, in some hydroclimates offering early warning relative to current operational drought indices. The performance of EDDI is assessed against other commonly used drought metrics across CONUS in Part II.

The frontiers of water and sanitation

Nature Portfolio (Springer Nature) | January 19th, 2023

The way in which human society uses water is continuously evolving. The present challenges related to clean water availability require the development of sustainable tech

The way in which human society uses water is continuously evolving. The present challenges related to clean water availability require the development of sustainable technologies and infrastructure. Furthermore, a stronger and wider appreciation of water inequalities and injustice demand an adequate transformation of water governance at local and global scale. We have asked nine experts in various sectors of water-related research to share their views on how water and sanitation science, technology and governance must evolve to meet the requirements of a healthier relationship between water and society.

The Future Hydrology of the Colorado River Basin

Utah State University | August 31st, 2020

Long-range planning of the water supply provided by the Colorado River requires realistic assessments of the impact of a continuation of the current drought that began in

Long-range planning of the water supply provided by the Colorado River requires realistic assessments of the impact of a continuation of the current drought that began in 2000, the impact of potentially extreme future droughts, and the long-term and progressive decline in watershed runoff that is caused by a warming climate. Water-supply managers want to know the maximum plausible stresses to water users so that plans for conservation, reservoir operations, and/or construction of new infrastructure can be properly developed. River managers want to know the implications of various water-supply plans on the flow-regime and water-quality characteristics of the Colorado River and its headwater branches in order to develop natural resource management plans that maintain desired attributes of river ecosystems. Although it is relatively easy to qualitatively describe scenarios of drought or water abundance, it is much harder to quantitatively estimate likely future conditions. In the white paper, we developed methods to make such quantitative estimates, thereby providing an approximate answer to the question, “How dry might future conditions in the Colorado River watershed become?” It is difficult to assign a probability to this assessment, and our analysis is guided by the principle that what has happened in the past might happen again in the future.

The Future of Groundwater in California: Lessons in Sustainable Management from Across the West

Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) | January 31st, 2018

The 2014 Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) created, for the first time and on an unprecedented scale, a mandate to change how groundwater is managed statewide

The 2014 Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) created, for the first time and on an unprecedented scale, a mandate to change how groundwater is managed statewide in California. While enacting SGMA was a tremendous step forward, communities and water districts now face the considerable challenge of creating successful groundwater management programs. This report is aimed at helping California’s water managers, public water agencies, county commissioners, city planners, and others better understand the suite of tools and approaches that can be used to enhance the sustainable management of groundwater. Specifically, we consider four categories of management tools—regulatory, incentive-based, agency supply augmentation and protection, and education and outreach—to evaluate how these tools are being used to address water quantity, water quality, and surface water and groundwater interaction challenges. We present nine comprehensive case studies of groundwater management across the Western United States to highlight how these tools have been used to address those challenges. The case studies represent basins that have a range of water uses— agricultural, municipal, or mixed water use, as well as basins with diverse hydrologic, political and social settings. Effective groundwater management takes time and requires significant resources and commitment on the part of water managers and communities. Each groundwater management program presented in this report relies upon a variety of interdependent tools and actions to meet management goals. The case studies illustrate the importance of building trust, having sufficient data, using a portfolio of management approaches, assuring performance, and access to funding. Given the similarities between the goals of SGMA and those described in the case studies, these themes emerge as crucial to the successful implementation of California’s landmark groundwater legislation.  

The Governance Gap: Climate Adaptation and Sea-Level Rise in the San Francisco Bay Area

University of California, Davis (UC Davis) | June 27th, 2017

This report summarizes the results of an extensive study of governance for climate adaptation and sea-level rise in the San Francisco Bay Area (SF Bay Area), wh

This report summarizes the results of an extensive study of governance for climate adaptation and sea-level rise in the San Francisco Bay Area (SF Bay Area), where the concept of sea-level rise adaptation also includes coastal flooding from high tides and extreme storm events. We focus on the “governance gap” that exists between the problem of sea-level rise and the implementation of adaptation solutions that increase resilience. We take a broad view on governance as the set of institutional arrangements, governmental authorities, and public stakeholders who collectively plan and implement adaptation activities, including identifying funding strategies and the agreeing on the information basis for decision making. While most stakeholders recognize the risk of sea-level rise and other climate impacts, and have good ideas about potential on-the-ground solutions, realizing these solutions requires overcoming a series of governance challenges. All of these governance challenges are barriers to stakeholder cooperation at multiple geographic levels—local, regional, state, and federal. There are many different governmental and non-governmental actors facing the same sea-level rise problem (in “the same boat”), and coordination is required to have them “row in the same direction.” The imperative for multi-level cooperation becomes more poignant as the science on sea-level rise continues to advance, and considers the possibilities of higher average levels of sea-level rise and rapid and extreme sea-level rise due to accelerated melting of the Antarctic ice sheet. This report summarizes the major challenges, identifies the menu of possible solutions, and develops some specific recommendations on the next steps needed to remedy the governance gap and enhance the adaptive capacity of the SF Bay Area. The governance analysis is a component of the larger UC Davis/Berkeley research project called Resilience of Infrastructure as Seas Rise (RISeR), See Figure 1, which is funded by National Science Foundation to analyze the interactions between sea-level rise adaptation, transportation infrastructure, and governance in the SF Bay Area. The governance analysis was conducted in Fall 2016-Winter 2017, and is based on a qualitative case study that combines in-person interviews, focus groups, document analysis, and content analysis of interview responses. The draft report was made available to study participants in Spring 2017, along with two webinars for receiving feedback. Participants included leaders of governmental and non-governmental organizations across the SF Bay Area region. The research focused mainly on sea-level rise and coastal flooding, but also linked to broader issues of climate adaptation when appropriate. Focus groups deliberated on the best possible solutions to solving the identified governance challenges. Respondents identified the overarching governance challenge as the imperative for multi-level cooperation among all sea-level rise adaptation stakeholders. Sea-level rise adaptation entails interdependencies, where the vulnerabilities and adaptation decisions of local actors impose regional costs and benefits. While regional cooperation is beginning to emerge, most stakeholders see a critical need for shared learning, coordination and planning. The recommendations provided in this report are intended to accelerate the processes of learning and cooperation needed to address the increasingly urgent problem of sea-level rise and coastal flooding.

The Great Salt Lake Strategic Plan

Office of the Great Salt Lake Commissioner | January 15th, 2024

This document represents an initial strategy to more effectively protect the Great Salt Lake, while balancing the other ecological, economic, and societal interests surro

This document represents an initial strategy to more effectively protect the Great Salt Lake, while balancing the other ecological, economic, and societal interests surrounding the lake. This is no small task, particularly in light of continued economic growth, sustained drought, and higher temperatures, which threaten to increase demand and shrink available water supplies even further.