Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency Revised Management Plan

Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency (PVWMA) | February 14th, 2002

Paso Robles Subbasin Groundwater Sustainability Plan

Paso Robles Subbasin Cooperative Committee | November 13th, 2019

Paso Robles Subbasin Groundwater Sustainability Plan (Revised)

Paso Robles Subbasin Groundwater Sustainability Agencies | June 13th, 2022

This Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP) fulfills the requirements of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) for the Paso Robles Subbasin of the Salinas Vall

This Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP) fulfills the requirements of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) for the Paso Robles Subbasin of the Salinas Valley Basin. The sustainability goal of this GSP is to sustainably manage the groundwater resources of the Paso Robles Subbasin for long-term community, financial, and environmental benefit of Subbasin users. This GSP outlines the approach to achieve a sustainable groundwater resource free of undesirable results within 20 years, while maintaining the unique cultural, community, and business aspects of the Subbasin. In adopting this GSP, it is the express goal of the GSAs to balance the needs of all groundwater users in the Subbasin, within the sustainable limits of the Subbasin’s resources. The GSP describes the Paso Robles Subbasin, develops quantifiable management objectives that consider the interests of the Subbasin’s beneficial groundwater uses and users, and identifies management actions and conceptual projects that will allow the Subbasin to achieve sustainability by 2040. This GSP covers the entire Paso Robles Subbasin. The Paso Robles Subbasin GSP has been jointly developed by four Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSAs): • City of Paso Robles GSA • Paso Basin - County of San Luis Obispo GSA • San Miguel Community Services District (CSD) GSA • Shandon - San Juan GSA Submitted to the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) in January 2021, the first version of this GSP was reviewed by DWR in January 2022 and determined to be incomplete (DWR, 2022). Corrective actions were provided by DWR for two identified deficiencies; these corrective actions are incorporated into this June 13, 2022 GSP for resubmittal to DWR. Due to size, this file has been divided. Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6

Paso Robles vineyard irrigation study provides benchmark data to assist future area groundwater management

California Agriculture (UCANR) | March 13th, 2018

Accurate information on irrigation water usage does not exist in many areas where groundwater is the primary water source. This lack of information will hinder

Accurate information on irrigation water usage does not exist in many areas where groundwater is the primary water source. This lack of information will hinder efforts to manage these groundwater basins sustainably according to current and future water regulations and policies. Using a low-cost methodology of irrigation-line pressure sensors connected to data loggers, we estimated irrigation applications at 84 vineyard sites in the Paso Robles Groundwater Basin over 4 years (2010–2013). We compared irrigation amounts with the preceding winter’s rainfall and with the growing season reference evapotranspiration (ETo). Over the study period, the average annual irrigation application was 11.46 inches (291 millimeters). The average annual application correlated inversely to the preceding winter’s rainfall, while the irrigation over the growing season (April–October) correlated directly with the ETo over this same period. This study provides an initial data framework that can be used by groundwater sustainability agencies to help manage groundwater in the Paso Robles area. The methodology also could be utilized in other regions to estimate regional irrigation usage while maintaining anonymity for participants.

Pathways and Barriers to Corporate Water Stewardship in the Colorado River Basin

Pacific Institute | October 24th, 2023

The Colorado River is the lifeblood of the American West. It supports 30 Native American tribes and farms, cities, and ecosystems in seven US states—Arizona, California

The Colorado River is the lifeblood of the American West. It supports 30 Native American tribes and farms, cities, and ecosystems in seven US states—Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming—and the Mexican states of Baja California and Sonora. However, the river is in crisis. Twenty-three years of drought, the over-allocation of water, and climate change have exacerbated a structural deficit—where more water leaves the system than enters it—for the tribes, communities, and ecosystems that depend on the Colorado River. To advance water resilience in the Colorado River Basin (Basin), accelerated action and investment are required from all sectors. These efforts must be strategic, coordinated, and amplified to effectively tackle the Basin’s challenges. Corporations can play a key role through their operations and supply chains, and by co-funding innovative projects. While a subset of leading companies is engaging in corporate water stewardship (CWS) in the Basin, more is needed to meet the magnitude of the water crisis at hand. This report outlines barriers and pathways to CWS in the Basin based on 20 interviews with corporate and non-corporate stakeholders from February to April 2022, and interviewee feedback on the results. The report is part of a broader Pacific Institute effort to advance CWS in the Basin. We are using these findings to prioritize CWS projects, initiatives, and approaches to pilot and scale in the Basin. More broadly, the findings are applicable to moving CWS toward building long-term water resilience in the Basin and other water-stressed basins around the world.

Patterns and magnitude of flow alteration in California, USA

Freshwater Biology (Wiley) | December 27th, 2017

The importance of the natural flow regime to stream and river health has received growing attention over the last two decades. Quantifying natural river flows has become

The importance of the natural flow regime to stream and river health has received growing attention over the last two decades. Quantifying natural river flows has become an essential component of water resource planning, including assessments of water supplies (Vicuna,Maurer, Joyce, Dracup, & Purkey, 2007; Wurbs, 2005), reservoir operations (Hejazi, Cai, & Ruddell, 2008) and drought risk (Meko,Therrell, Baisan, & Hughes, 2001). Understanding the natural flow regime is also crucial for managing stream ecosystems.

Paying for Infrastructure: California’s Choices

Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) | January 16th, 2009

PPIC’s At Issue series focuses on issues important for California now and in the future. Financing infrastructure has traditionally been difficult for the state, and cu

PPIC’s At Issue series focuses on issues important for California now and in the future. Financing infrastructure has traditionally been difficult for the state, and current economic woes are likely to make it even more challenging. In this At Issue, PPIC research director Ellen Hanak analyzes the impediments to infrastructure financing and describes funding reforms such as loosening the supermajority rules for local infrastructure funding, financing investment through user fees, and expanding public-private partnerships. She outlines how these reforms could improve the state’s ability to build for the future.

Paying for Water in California

Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) | March 6th, 2014

California faces serious funding gaps in five key areas of water management—including safe drinking water in small, disadvantaged communities; flood protection; managem

California faces serious funding gaps in five key areas of water management—including safe drinking water in small, disadvantaged communities; flood protection; management of stormwater and other polluted runoff; aquatic ecosystem management; and integrated water management. These gaps amount to $2 billion to $3 billion a year. But bold efforts by state and local leaders can pave the way to sustainable solutions for California’s critical water resources.

Paying it Forward: The Path Toward Climate-Safe Infrastructure in California

Climate-Safe Infrastructure Working Group | September 1st, 2018

Persistent spatial structuring of coastal ocean acidification in the California Current System

Nature Portfolio (Springer Nature) | May 31st, 2017

The near-term progression of ocean acidification (OA) is projected to bring about sharp changes in the chemistry of coastal upwelling ecosystems. The distribution of OA e

The near-term progression of ocean acidification (OA) is projected to bring about sharp changes in the chemistry of coastal upwelling ecosystems. The distribution of OA exposure across these early-impact systems, however, is highly uncertain and limits our understanding of whether and how spatial management actions can be deployed to ameliorate future impacts. Through a novel coastal OA observing network, we have uncovered a remarkably persistent spatial mosaic in the penetration of acidified waters into ecologically-important nearshore habitats across 1,000 km of the California Current Large Marine Ecosystem. In the most severe exposure hotspots, suboptimal conditions for calcifying organisms encompassed up to 56% of the summer season, and were accompanied by some of the lowest and most variable pH environments known for the surface ocean. Persistent refuge areas were also found, highlighting new opportunities for local adaptation to address the global challenge of OA in productive coastal systems.