Sustainability Outlook Indicator Descriptions and Methodology

California Department of Water Resources (DWR) | December 13th, 2018

The Sustainability Outlook describes how, through the lens of four societal values — public health and safety, healthy economy, ecosystem vitality, and opportunities fo

The Sustainability Outlook describes how, through the lens of four societal values — public health and safety, healthy economy, ecosystem vitality, and opportunities for enriching experiences — it will help identify desired water management outcomes and indicators. Those outcomes and indicators can be used to gauge the status of, and progress toward, sustainability. Because sustainability is not something achieved once and forever, the Sustainability Outlook and the representative indicators are intended to be adaptive and help water resource managers address changing circumstances and incorporate lessons learned.  This document details the process to date for developing the sustainability indicators and includes descriptions of the initial indicators. Indicators are presented according to societal value, corresponding intended outcome, and classification (“Basic” with potential statewide application or “Watershed” level application, “Advanced” for future development, or “Archived” with no additional development identified at this time). Each intended outcome has several indicators, and in some cases, indicators may apply to multiple outcomes.  This version of the document (December 2018) is being released concurrently with the public review draft of Update 2018. It is considered an in-progress review draft because indicator assessments are ongoing, and the contents are subject to change as indicators are more fully developed, combined, or otherwise modified. As part of Update 2018, future versions of this paper will reflect the status of indicator development and stakeholder input. 

Sustainable Development and Environmental Justice

California Department of Water Resources (DWR) | September 7th, 2004

This chapter addresses the incorporation of environmental justice into the general plan. While environmental justice is not a mandatory topic in the general plan, ther

This chapter addresses the incorporation of environmental justice into the general plan. While environmental justice is not a mandatory topic in the general plan, there is a strong case for its inclusion. Federal and state anti-discrimination statutes, which have a long history, apply to planning as they do to other policy areas. As discussed below, environmental justice issues are often related to failures in land use planning. Planning policies that promote livable communities and smart growth can be tools for achieving environmental justice. In keeping with that idea, this chapter begins with a discussion of sustainable development. Sustainable development provides a context for understanding how environmental justice fits into land use planning. This chapter concludes with a discussion of transit-oriented development, which has important implications for environmental justice and sustainable development.

Sustainable Development and Environmental Justice

California Department of Water Resources (DWR) | September 7th, 2004

This chapter addresses the incorporation of environmental justice into the general plan.  While environmental justice is not a mandatory topic in the general plan, there

This chapter addresses the incorporation of environmental justice into the general plan.  While environmental justice is not a mandatory topic in the general plan, there is a strong case for its inclusion. Federal and state anti-discrimination statutes, which have a long history, apply to planning as they do to other policy areas. As discussed below, environmental justice issues are often related to failures in land use planning. Planning policies that promote livable communities and smart growth can be tools for achieving environmental justice. In keeping with that idea, this chapter begins with a discussion of sustainable development. Sustainable development provides a context for understanding how environmental justice fits into land use planning. This chapter concludes with a discussion of transit-oriented development, which has important implications for environmental justice and sustainable development.

Sustainable Groundwater Management

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) | February 1st, 2016

According to the [Sustainable Groundwater Management] act, local agencies must develop and implement groundwater-sustainability plans for managing and using groundwater w

According to the [Sustainable Groundwater Management] act, local agencies must develop and implement groundwater-sustainability plans for managing and using groundwater without causing “undesirable results” related to the following: • Groundwater-level declines. • Groundwater-storage reductions. • Seawater intrusion. • Water-quality degradation. • Land subsidence. • Interconnected surface-water depletions. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) uses data collection, modeling tools, and scientific analysis to help water managers plan for and assess hydrologic issues that can cause “undesirable results” associated with groundwater use. This information helps managers understand trends and investigate and predict effects of different groundwater management strategies.  

Sustainable Groundwater Management Program Groundwater Sustainability Plan Assessment Staff Report – Big Valley Basin (No. 5-004)

California Department of Water Resources (DWR) | October 26th, 2023

Sustainable L.A. Grand Challenge Environmental Report Card for Los Angeles County: Water 2019

University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) | October 22nd, 2019

The Sustainable LA Grand Challenge (SLA GC) Environmental Report Card (ERC) for Los Angeles County (L.A. County) is the only comprehensive environmental report card for

The Sustainable LA Grand Challenge (SLA GC) Environmental Report Card (ERC) for Los Angeles County (L.A. County) is the only comprehensive environmental report card for a megacity in the world. This 2019 ERC on Water provides an in-depth look at the region’s efforts in moving toward a more resilient local water supply, which requires maximizing high quality local water supplies, improving water conveyance and treatment infrastructure, reducing water consumption, and implementing innovative technology and policy solutions. Twenty indicators were assessed across eight categories. Many of these indicators are new areas of assessment for the ERC and will provide a more comprehensive picture of current conditions compared to the 2015 ERC that last assessed L.A. County’s water. Grades were assigned in each category based on compliance with environmental laws or numeric standards where applicable, on our best professional judgment, and on historical improvements and context. This year’s grades range from D/ Incomplete to B+, and although there has been great progress in some areas, others still require significant improvement to raise the county’s C+ average.

Sustainable Management of a Water Reservoir System Facing Climate Uncertainty

Social Science Research Network (SSRN) | November 27th, 2024

Water scarcity is a growing global issue. It affects even highly developed regions like California, the world's fifth largest economy, where years of severe droughts inte

Water scarcity is a growing global issue. It affects even highly developed regions like California, the world's fifth largest economy, where years of severe droughts interspersed with unusually wet seasons have caused societal debates over the management of the water resources stored in the state's extensive reservoir system. This paper presents a strategic optimization model for the long-term, sustainable management of such a system. Introducing a new modeling paradigm based on cycles of stochastic length, defined by the event when all reservoirs are simultaneously full, we avoid the limitations of traditional models and obtain sustainable management policies. To address the unpredictable effect of climate change on future water supply, we adopt a distributionally robust framework where nature chooses adverse inflow distributions. This leads to a stochastic shortest path problem under distributional ambiguity. Using tools from stochastic dynamic programming and aggregation methods, we obtain policy insights and overcome the curse of dimensionality typically associated with systems models. In a case study for California's Sacramento River Basin, we report suboptimality gaps between 3% and 15%, with our sustainable management policy reducing average cycle shortage costs by 40% compared to the current policy, demonstrating the significant cost saving potential.

Sutter County Groundwater Management Plan

Sutter County | March 19th, 2012

Sutter County intends this GMP to be relevant for the entire County. Sutter County overlies the south central part of the Sacramento Valley Groundwater Basin, and specif

Sutter County intends this GMP to be relevant for the entire County. Sutter County overlies the south central part of the Sacramento Valley Groundwater Basin, and specifically the Sutter Subbasin and portions of the East Butte and North American Subbasins. The majority of the County is serviced by water and irrigation districts, reclamation districts, cities, and public utility districts, which have the authority to manage groundwater in their service areas. Unless those entities decline to manage groundwater on their own, and instead enter into agreements with the County, this GMP does not formally apply to those areas. If those entities choose not to adopt their own GMPs, they have the option of taking formal action to adopt the Sutter County GMP for their areas. By doing so, they will fulfill the requirements of the groundwater management provisions of the California Water Code.

Sutter Subbasin Groundwater Sustainability Plan

Sutter County | January 28th, 2022

With a 20-year implementation period and a 50-year planning horizon, the Sutter Subbasin GSP is considered to be a “living” document. The Sutter Subbasin Groundwater

With a 20-year implementation period and a 50-year planning horizon, the Sutter Subbasin GSP is considered to be a “living” document. The Sutter Subbasin Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSAs) will implement this GSP using adaptive management strategies to respond to challenges related to groundwater sustainability, including monitoring of conditions in the Subbasin according to a prescribed schedule and implementing projects and management actions (PMAs). Conditions will be evaluated on an annual basis (or more frequently, as warranted) utilizing monitoring data collected as part of this GSP, as well as other publicly available sources, and PMAs will be added or revised in the GSP annual reports. During five-year GSP evaluations, the GSP will also be reviewed and revised, as needed, as more is known about the effects of current and future conditions. Due to size, this file has been divided into three parts. Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

Sycamore Alluvial Woodland: Habitat Mapping and Regeneration Study

San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) | February 1st, 2017

This study investigates the relative distribution, health, and regeneration patterns of two major stands of sycamore alluvial woodland (SAW), representing managed and nat

This study investigates the relative distribution, health, and regeneration patterns of two major stands of sycamore alluvial woodland (SAW), representing managed and natural settings. Using an array of ecological and geomorphic field analyses, we discuss site characteristics favorable to SAW health and regeneration, make recommendations for restoration and management, and identify next steps. Findings from this study will contribute to the acquisition, restoration, and improved management of SAW as part of the Santa Clara Valley Habitat Plan (VHP).