Contribution of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation to global mean sea level trend

American Geophysical Union (AGU) | October 3rd, 2013

Understanding and explaining the trend in global mean sea level (GMSL) have important implications for future projections of sea level rise. While measurements from sa

Understanding and explaining the trend in global mean sea level (GMSL) have important implications for future projections of sea level rise. While measurements from satellite altimetry have provided accurate estimates of GMSL, the modern altimetry record has only now reached 20 years in length, making it difficult to assess the contribution of decadal to multi-decadal climate signals to the global trend. Here, we use a sea level reconstruction to study the 20 year trends in sea level since 1950. In particular, we show that the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) contributes significantly to the 20 year trends in GMSL. We estimate the PDO contri-bution to the GMSL trend over the past 20 years to beapproximately 0.49 ± 0.25 mm/year and find that removing the PDO contribution reduces the acceleration in GMSL estimated over the past 60 years. 

Conveyance - Delta (Resource Management Strategy)

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

The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (Delta) is the confluence point of the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers as water is naturally conveyed westward from upstream water basi

The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (Delta) is the confluence point of the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers as water is naturally conveyed westward from upstream water basins to the bays connected to the Pacific Ocean (Figure 1). In its natural state, the Delta was a vast marsh and floodplain dissected by meandering channels and sloughs. Even in today’s highly altered environment, the Delta remains a critical ecosystem and dynamic habitat that is home to hundreds of aquatic and terrestrial species, including many species endemic to the area and a number that are designated as threatened or endangered by the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA) and California Endangered Species Act (CESA). The Delta is also a centerpiece of California’s water system. The conveyance of water through the Delta supplies water for more than 25 million Californians. The water conveyed through the Delta also supports farms and ranches stretching from the north Delta to California-Mexico border, which collectively produce nearly half of the nation’s domestically grown fresh produce and supports a $27 billion agricultural industry. In addition to being a key agricultural region itself and recreational destination, the Delta supports extensive infrastructure of statewide importance, such as aqueducts, natural gas pipelines, electricity transmission lines, railroads, shipping channels, and highways.

Conveyance — Regional/Local (Resource Management Strategy)

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

Conveyance provides for the movement of water, geographically connecting the supply to the demand. Conveyance infrastructure includes natural watercourses as well as huma

Conveyance provides for the movement of water, geographically connecting the supply to the demand. Conveyance infrastructure includes natural watercourses as well as human-made facilities like canals, pipelines, and flood bypasses. Examples of natural watercourses include streams, rivers, floodplains, and groundwater aquifers. Conveyance facilities range in size from small, local, end-user distribution systems to the large systems that move water to and from distant areas. Conveyance facilities also require associated infrastructure such as pumping plants, diversion structures, fish ladders, and fish screens. Regional and local water supply conveyance is discussed in this resource management strategy report.

Costs of Ecosystem Management Actions for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta

Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) | April 22nd, 2013

California is at a critical juncture on policy for the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta. This report summarizes the results of a wide-ranging study of cost-effective wa

California is at a critical juncture on policy for the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta. This report summarizes the results of a wide-ranging study of cost-effective ways to improve the health of the Delta ecosystem. It highlights the need for science-based, integrated management of the many sources of ecosystem stress. The report also recommends improvements to the highly fragmented system of oversight that now involves dozens of federal, state, and local agencies. Several companion reports contain related findings: Aquatic Ecosystem Stressors in the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta (Mount et al. 2012) summarizes the science of Delta ecosystem stressors for a policymaking audience. Integrated Management of Delta Stressors: Institutional and Legal Options (Gray et al. 2013) lays out proposals for institutional reform of science, management, and regulation. Scientist and Stakeholder Views on the Delta Ecosystem (Hanak et al. 2013) presents detailed results of the two surveys conducted by the report’s authors. Stress Relief: Prescriptions for a Healthier Delta Ecosystem (Hanak et al. 2013) summarizes the overall research project and the recommendations it generated. Where the Wild Things Aren’t: Making the Delta a Better Place for Native Species (Moyle et al. 2012) outlines a realistic long-term vision for achieving a healthier ecosystem.

Counties Wresting Control: Local Responses to California's Statewide Water Market

University of Denver Water Law Review (UDWLR) | January 1st, 2003

Customer Debt and Lost Revenue: The Financial Impacts of COVID-19 on Small Community Water Systems

Pacific Institute | May 4th, 2021

This report provides information on revenue losses experienced by small community water systems (SCWS) in the United States and debt accumulated by their customers during

This report provides information on revenue losses experienced by small community water systems (SCWS) in the United States and debt accumulated by their customers during the COVID-19 pandemic. More than 45,000 SCWS, defined as systems serving fewer than 10,000 people, exist across the United States. The pandemic has exacerbated pre-existing challenges for these water systems and for poorer communities faced with rapidly rising water bills, including financial and cyber insecurity, and the rising costs of treating new contaminants in their water and wastewater. The report includes case studies illustrating the breadth and depth of challenges SCWS face due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Cuyama Valley Groundwater Basin Groundwater Sustainability Plan (Revised)

Cuyama Basin Groundwater Sustainability Agency (CBGSA) | July 6th, 2022

The CBGSA is a joint-powers agency that is comprised of Kern, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Ventura counties, the Cuyama Community Services District and the Cuyama B

The CBGSA is a joint-powers agency that is comprised of Kern, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Ventura counties, the Cuyama Community Services District and the Cuyama Basin Water District. The CBGSA is governed by an 11-member Board of Directors, with one representative from Kern, San Luis Obispo and Ventura counties, two representatives from Santa Barbara County, one member from the Cuyama Community Services District, and five members from the Cuyama Basin Water District. Due to file size, this GSP has been divided. Part 1, Part 2, Part 3,, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8

CV-SALTS Modesto Management Zone Implementation Plan

Valley Water Collaborative | September 5th, 2023

The Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board (Central Valley Water Board) adopted amendments to the Water Quality Control Plan for the Sacramento River and San

The Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board (Central Valley Water Board) adopted amendments to the Water Quality Control Plan for the Sacramento River and San Joaquin River Basins and the Water Quality Control Plan for the Tulare Lake Basin (Basin Plans) to incorporate a Salt and Nitrate Control Program. The Nitrate Control Program is designed to achieve the following three management goals in the Central Valley Region: • Goal 1 – Ensure a safe drinking water supply; • Goal 2 – Reduce salt and nitrate loading so that ongoing discharges neither threaten to degrade high quality waters absent appropriate findings by the Central Valley Water Board nor cause or contribute to exceedances of water quality objectives; and, • Goal 3 – Implement long-term, managed restoration of impaired water bodies. Click here for CV-SALTS Priority 1 publication index

CV-SALTS Turlock Management Zone Implementation Plan

Valley Water Collaborative | September 5th, 2023

The Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board (Central Valley Water Board) adopted amendments to the Water Quality Control Plan for the Sacramento River and San

The Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board (Central Valley Water Board) adopted amendments to the Water Quality Control Plan for the Sacramento River and San Joaquin River Basins and the Water Quality Control Plan for the Tulare Lake Basin (BasinPlans) to incorporate a Salt and Nitrate Control Program. The Nitrate Control Program is designed to achieve the following three management goals in the Central Valley Region: • Goal 1 – Ensure a safe drinking water supply; • Goal 2 – Reduce salt and nitrate loading so that ongoing discharges neither threaten to degrade high quality waters absent appropriate findings by the Central Valley Water Board nor cause or contribute to exceedances of water quality objectives; and, • Goal 3 – Implement long-term, managed restoration of impaired water bodies. Click here for an index of CV-SALTS Management Zone publications

CVFPP Conservation Strategy Appendix J. Existing Conservation Objectives from Other Plans

California Department of Water Resources (DWR) | July 14th, 2016

The Conservation Strategy, in conjunction with the Central Valley Flood Protection Plan (CVFPP), geographically overlaps with multiple regional and collaborative conserva

The Conservation Strategy, in conjunction with the Central Valley Flood Protection Plan (CVFPP), geographically overlaps with multiple regional and collaborative conservation plans that have been implemented or are planned for the Sacramento and San Joaquin Valleys. Regional planning efforts such as the Conservation Strategy are most effective when coordinated with similar programs and plans, in terms of both cost efficiency and ecological benefit. For example, knowledge gained through implementation of existing plans has refined the Conservation Strategy’s objectives and approaches. Additionally, during strategy implementation, collaboration with other planning efforts will provide greater opportunities for effective, integrated, landscape-level conservation. This could support achievement of individual plans’ important ecological objectives, such as improving habitat connectivity and increasing the size of habitat preserves. In other words, the collaborative approach will allow the Conservation Strategy to contribute to the shared objectives of the other plans while meeting its own objectives.  The purpose of this appendix is to describe completed and ongoing planning efforts that have regional, geographically based, or quantifiable conservation measures that may be relevant to the Conservation Strategy. All of the plans and programs described overlap at least partially with the Systemwide Planning Area (SPA). The list presented herein is not comprehensive, but provides examples of efforts that were considered in developing the Conservation Strategy. In this appendix, completed planning efforts are summarized first, followed by those that are in progress. Potential relationships between these plans or programs and the Conservation Strategy are summarized in Table 1-1. Some programs, such as efforts to identify total maximum daily loads or implement Integrated Regional Water Management Plans, may support conservation work, but their objectives are dissimilar to those of the Conservation Strategy (i.e., focused on meeting water quality standards), so were not included.  This appendix is not intended to present an analysis of each plan in detail. Rather, the intent is to identify areas of potential overlap between relevant plans and the Conservation Strategy. As the Conservation Strategy is implemented, potentially synergistic areas and areas of possible conflict between the Conservation Strategy and individual plans can continue to be identified.  This appendix supports and recognizes considerations that will be essential as the Conservation Strategy is implemented. Specifically, this appendix:  • efficiently uses current information to inform the Conservation Strategy regarding potential conservation goals; recognizes that multiple conservation plans and collaborative planning efforts have been completed, are in development, or are being implemented: in whole or in part, the plans address many of the targeted species and habitats that occur in the SPA, and the plans help identify conservation needs and priorities in the flood risk management system; highlights potential conservation partnerships for the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) in implementing the Conservation Strategy, by: describing opportunities to share costs on conservation projects and describing opportunities for DWR to simultaneously meet its own conservation goals and contribute to plans or programs through specific projects; and identifies completed conservation planning efforts, from which “lessons learned” can be applied to Conservation Strategy implementation