Safeguarding California Plan: 2018 Update – California’s Climate Adaptation Strategy

California Natural Resources Agency (CNRA) | January 1st, 2018

Globally, California leads in efforts to avoid the worst effects of climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Still, the impacts of climate change a

Globally, California leads in efforts to avoid the worst effects of climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Still, the impacts of climate change are already being felt in California and are disproportionately impacting the state’s most vulnerable populations. The accelerating rate of climate change in this century will likely exceed that experienced by California’s native peoples over past millennia. Already these changes have rendered our state’s 117 years of weather-related record-keeping unreliable as predictors of future events. We know that California’s climate is changing, and responsible institutions must plan for and take action to address current and future climate impacts.

Salton Sea Reclamation Act of 1998

U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) | January 27th, 1998

San Diego County Ecosystems: Ecological Impacts of Climate Change on a Biodiversity Hotspot

California Energy Commission (CEC) | August 27th, 2018

The diverse ecosystems, habitats, plants, and animals in the San Diego County region will be impacted by climatic shifts in multifold ways due to current and future vari

The diverse ecosystems, habitats, plants, and animals in the San Diego County region will be impacted by climatic shifts in multifold ways due to current and future variability, along with other factors including habitat loss and fragmentation, land use shifts, and changing fire regimes. While home to a major metropolitan area, San Diego County still hosts expanses of native and preserved habitats where management and conservation action could be greatly enhanced through science-based assessments and planning for climate change and increased climate variability. Projections of climate change in the region include warming by 4-9° F on average, and a 15-25% decrease in fall and spring precipitation with an increase in variability resulting in more frequent and intense droughts punctuated by increasingly rare yet extreme precipitation and flooding events. In addition, an increase in fire events and potential lessening of coastal marine influence may also affect San Diego’s ecosystems. Climate warming superimposed upon the pronounced spatially-varying temperature in the San Diego region will likely be associated with range shifts for many species resulting in novel community assemblages and biotic interactions and could create phenological mismatches. More frequent and intense heat waves may disproportionately affect younger age classes and reduce reproductive and survival rates of species sensitive to temperature extremes. With increasingly variable precipitation, drought may occur more frequently due to increased occurrence of dry days and could intensify because of warmer temperatures. Since drought disproportionately affects some species, these projected changes may cause structural changes to ecosystems. Santa Ana winds, occurring during increasingly dry fall months, would create ideal fire conditions. Coastal low clouds and fog along San Diego’s coast buffer this zone from the effects of warming and drying through shading and cooling. Although these marine stratus clouds will remain a presence, future changes in this phenomenon are uncertain. The spatial and temporal scales at which climate variations and change operate must be considered to build resilience into natural systems. Effective conservation actions will need to build on ongoing efforts focused on landscape-scale planning rather than more traditional single-species approaches. To carry this out will require cross-jurisdictional, multidisciplinary collaboration by scientists, policy-makers, planners, land managers, and the broader conservation community, which has a decades-long history of accomplishment in San Diego County.

San Francisco Bay Nutrient Management Strategy Observation Program

San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) | July 1st, 2020

This document presents a planning-level description of the draft Nutrient Management Strategy Observation Program (NMSOP), including estimated budget and approach for ph

This document presents a planning-level description of the draft Nutrient Management Strategy Observation Program (NMSOP), including estimated budget and approach for phased growth. The NMSOP represents the design that is needed to address NMS†data needs¨ not an existing program. The proposed design represents a balance between two key goals: ● Target high priority NMS data collection needs ● Where feasible, align field work and data collection efforts with other programs’ established infrastructure, to enhance cost-effectiveness and sustainability. While an inter-program collaborative approach is important for securing NMSOP’s long-term sustainability, building a reliable consortium will require up-front effort to establish inter-program science, management, and financial agreements. This document focuses on the NMSOP scientific program design and growth, with institutional program development described in a companion work plan (SFEI 2016b).

Santa Cruz Mid-County Groundwater Basin Groundwater Sustainability Plan

Santa Cruz Mid-County Groundwater Basin Groundwater Sustainability Agency | November 21st, 2019

Due to size, this file has been divided Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5

Due to size, this file has been divided Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5

Science be Dammed: How Ignoring Inconvenient Science Drained the Colorado River

University of Arizona Press | November 26th, 2019

Science Be Dammed is an alarming reminder of the high stakes in the management—and perils in the mismanagement—of water in the western United States.  It seems decep

Science Be Dammed is an alarming reminder of the high stakes in the management—and perils in the mismanagement—of water in the western United States.  It seems deceptively simple: even when clear evidence was available that the Colorado River could not sustain ambitious dreaming and planning by decision-makers throughout the twentieth century, river planners and political operatives irresponsibly made the least sustainable and most dangerous long-term decisions. Arguing that the science of the early twentieth century can shed new light on the mistakes at the heart of the over-allocation of the Colorado River, authors Eric Kuhn and John Fleck delve into rarely reported early studies, showing that scientists warned as early as the 1920s that there was not enough water for the farms and cities boosters wanted to build. Contrary to a common myth that the authors of the Colorado River Compact did the best they could with limited information, Kuhn and Fleck show that development boosters selectively chose the information needed to support their dreams, ignoring inconvenient science that suggested a more cautious approach. Today water managers are struggling to come to terms with the mistakes of the past. Focused on both science and policy, Kuhn and Fleck unravel the tangled web that has constructed the current crisis. With key decisions being made now, including negotiations for rules governing how the Colorado River water will be used after 2026, Science Be Dammed offers a clear-eyed path forward by looking back. Understanding how mistakes were made is crucial to understanding our contemporary problems. Science Be Dammed offers important lessons in the age of climate change about the necessity of seeking out the best science to support the decisions we make.

Science Enterprise Workshop Proceedings Report for Nov. 1-2, 2016

Delta Stewardship Council (Delta Council) | March 1st, 2017

Scientists, science-policy experts, and stakeholders gathered for a two-day workshop on November 1-2, 2016 at UC Davis to better understand how collaborative science is b

Scientists, science-policy experts, and stakeholders gathered for a two-day workshop on November 1-2, 2016 at UC Davis to better understand how collaborative science is being managed, funded, and communicated in several high-profile ecosystems around the country. The program was designed to identify common themes and differences in the approaches being used in the California Bay-Delta, Chesapeake Bay and Watershed, Coastal Louisiana, Great Lakes, Greater Everglades Ecosystem, and Puget Sound. This Proceedings Report combines information found in the Science Enterprise Workshop Advance Briefing Paper, including an overview of each system, with abridged transcripts of the presentations, panel discussions, and audience questions and answers. The report is organized according to the workshop agenda and integrates slides and graphics used during the program. The contents of this report, including individual sections, can also be viewed online at (www.mavensnotebook.com) and videos from the workshop can be viewed online at (www.deltacouncil.ca.gov/youtube-page).

Scientific Basis Report in Support of New and Modified Requirements for Inflows from the Sacramento River and its Tributaries and Eastside Tributaries to the Delta, Delta Outflows, Cold Water Habitat, and Interior Delta Flows

California State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) | October 2nd, 2017

The State Water Board is conducting a review and update of the 2006 Bay-Delta Plan to ensure that beneficial uses of water in the Bay-Delta watershed are reasonably prote

The State Water Board is conducting a review and update of the 2006 Bay-Delta Plan to ensure that beneficial uses of water in the Bay-Delta watershed are reasonably protected. Phase I addresses potential changes to San Joaquin River flow requirements for the protection of fish and wildlife and potential changes to southern Delta salinity requirements for the protection of agriculture.1 Phase II addresses changes to the Bay-Delta Plan to protect native fish and wildlife in the Sacramento River, Delta, and associated tributaries. This Scientific Basis Report (Science Report or Report) is being prepared to support the Phase II update of the Bay-Delta Plan. It describes the science on which proposed changes to the Bay-Delta Plan will be based. A working draft version of the Report was released on October 19, 2016, to receive early scientific and public input on the science related to Phase II prior to submittal of the Report for external peer review. The State Water Board received input from a number of interested parties including water users; environmental groups; and local, state, and federal agencies. In recognition of the vision for “one Delta, one science” articulated in the Delta Stewardship Council’s (DSC) Delta Plan, the State Water Board also requested that the Delta Independent Science Board (Delta ISB) conduct a review of the Report. The State Water Board appreciates the valuable comments and suggestions that have helped further strengthen the scientific content in this version of the Report. In addition, comments related to regulatory and policy issues were raised that have further informed the development of proposed changes to the Bay-Delta Plan, including implementation approaches. The general components of these changes are summarized below and in more detail in Chapter 5 for context, and will continue to be refined as the planning process moves forward. This Report and the peer reviewers’ responses will be posted on the State Water Board web site and become part of the record for this Bay-Delta Plan update. Content from this Report will be included in a larger Staff Report that will also contain information on environmental, economic, and other analyses of potential changes to the Bay-Delta Plan, including regulatory and policy considerations of competing uses of water (including municipal, industrial, agricultural, power production, and other environmental uses of water such as wetland and wildlife refuge supplies). These issues are not addressed in this Science Report. Further, while a description of the approach for proposed changes to the Bay-Delta Plan is provided, the exact regulatory language is still under development and will be informed by the science in this Report and other information that will be included in the Staff Report. The public and agencies will continue to have opportunities to provide input throughout this process.

Scott Valley Community Groundwater Study Plan

University of California, Davis (UC Davis) | February 11th, 2008

This Scott Valley Groundwater Study Plan (GW Study Plan) has been requested of Siskiyou County and its Scott Valley stakeholders, as set forth in the Action Plan for the

This Scott Valley Groundwater Study Plan (GW Study Plan) has been requested of Siskiyou County and its Scott Valley stakeholders, as set forth in the Action Plan for the Scott River Temperature Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) (adopted Dec. 2005 by the California North Coast Regional Water Board [RWB]). The Action Plan sets forth the elements to be contained in this GW Study Plan; it also sets forth the needs of the RWB for certain information to be developed from the groundwater studies set forth in the GW Study Plan. It has been agreed by Siskiyou County and Regional Water Board staff that the hydrology of the entire valley needs to be understood in order to know the possible array of solutions to any water issues or problems in the Scott Valley. Siskiyou County with its management jurisdiction over groundwater (the RWB has water quality jurisdiction over groundwater under the Porter-Cologne Act) will take a community-based approach to groundwater management planning and to implementing this GW Study Plan. Data, information, and analysis are needed through studies to understand the groundwater hydrology of the Scott River system and its relationship to surface hydrology, especially in areas where groundwater could affect Scott River water temperatures, potential riparian vegetation, and habitat connectivity for anadromous fish. Without knowledge of the overall groundwater hydrology of Scott Valley, solutions to specific issues outlined in the TMDL Action Plan and the Scott River Watershed Council (SRWC) Strategic Action Plan will not be possible. It will be more cost effective to discover and prevent problems before they occur. Baseline data will be needed to determine the best approach in the design and implementation of water projects and water management alternatives and strategies to protect anadromous fish while also protecting the other beneficial uses, including the needs of agricultural operations. Much of this information will need to be developed over a period of time necessary to have a sufficient record from which to discover and test feasible and effective management strategies. This GW Study Plan was developed by the University of California at Davis (UC Davis) with the voluntary assistance of communities, landowners, the SRWC, and the Siskiyou Resource Conservation District (SRCD). The GW Study Plan is intended to be a living blueprint of the hydrologic, ecologic, water resource management, and agricultural management research needs and of the investigative approaches that can be taken to develop management practices that meet the mandate for protection of water, agricultural, and ecological resources in the Scott Valley. The GW Study Plan summarizes the current status of knowledge about the hydro-agro-eco-geography of the Scott Valley and outlines potential approaches to addressing critical current research needs. Individual study projects and tasks are described and scheduled in a way that is most efficient and timely to make the best use of funds to collect the information and data needed.

Seawater intrusion processes, investigation and management: Recent advances and future challenges

Advances in Water Resources (Elsevier) | January 17th, 2013

Seawater intrusion (SI) is a global issue, exacerbated by increasing demands for freshwater in coastal zones and predisposed to the influences of rising sea levels and ch

Seawater intrusion (SI) is a global issue, exacerbated by increasing demands for freshwater in coastal zones and predisposed to the influences of rising sea levels and changing climates. This review presents the state of knowledge in SI research, compares classes of methods for assessing and managing SI, and suggests areas for future research. We subdivide SI research into categories relating to processes, measurement, prediction and management. Considerable research effort spanning more than 50 years has provided an extensive array of field, laboratory and computer-based techniques for SI investigation. Despite this, knowledge gaps exist in SI process understanding, in particular associated with transient SI processes and timeframes, and the characterization and prediction of freshwater–saltwater interfaces over regional scales and in highly heterogeneous and dynamic settings. Multidisciplinary research is warranted to evaluate interactions between SI and submarine groundwater discharge, ecosystem health and unsaturated zone processes. Recent advances in numerical simulation, calibration and optimization techniques require rigorous field-scale application to contemporary issues of climate change, sea-level rise, and socioeconomic and ecological factors that are inseparable elements of SI management. The number of well-characterized examples of SI is small, and this has impeded understanding of field-scale processes, such as those controlling mixing zones, saltwater upconing, heterogeneity effects and other factors. Current SI process understanding is based mainly on numerical simulation and laboratory sand-tank experimentation to unravel the combined effects of tides, surface water–groundwater interaction, heterogeneity, pumping and density contrasts. The research effort would benefit from intensive measurement campaigns to delineate accurately interfaces and their movement in response to real-world coastal aquifer stresses, encompassing a range of geological and hydrological settings.