Aliso Water District Groundwater Sustainability Plan (Amended)

Aliso Water District Groundwater Sustainability Agency | July 7th, 2022

The January 2020 AWD GSA GSP, along with the other GSPs of the Delta-Mendota Subbasin, was deemed incomplete by DWR January 21, 2022 (Appendix H). The incomplete determin

The January 2020 AWD GSA GSP, along with the other GSPs of the Delta-Mendota Subbasin, was deemed incomplete by DWR January 21, 2022 (Appendix H). The incomplete determination provided 180 days to respond to the deficiencies identified by DWR. Subsequently, multiple consultations with DWR and meetings of the Delta-Mendota GSP groups were held to develop a coordinated response. This GSP, including the Common Chapter (Appendix B), addresses the concerns of DWR’s January 2022 Determination Letter. Due to size, this file has been divided. Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5

All-day fresh water harvesting by microstructured hydrogel membranes

Nature Portfolio (Springer Nature) | May 14th, 2021

Solar steam water purification and fog collection are two independent processes that could enable abundant fresh water generation. We developed a hydrogel membrane that c

Solar steam water purification and fog collection are two independent processes that could enable abundant fresh water generation. We developed a hydrogel membrane that contains hierarchical three-dimensional microstructures with high surface area that combines both functions and serves as an all-day fresh water harvester. At night, the hydrogel membrane efficiently captures fog droplets and directionally transports them to a storage vessel. During the daytime, it acts as an interfacial solar steam generator and achieves a high evaporation rate of 3.64 kg m−2 h−1 under 1 sun enabled by improved thermal/vapor flow management. With a homemade rooftop water harvesting system, this hydrogel membrane can produce fresh water with a daily yield of ~34 L m−2 in an outdoor test, which demonstrates its potential for global water scarcity relief.

Alleviating water scarcity by optimizing crop mixes

Nature Portfolio (Springer Nature) | November 6th, 2023

Allocating California’s Water: Directions for Reform

Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) | November 11th, 2015

California’s water allocation system hampers its ability to meet the state’s needs, especially in times of drought. At its heart is an unusually complex array of wate

California’s water allocation system hampers its ability to meet the state’s needs, especially in times of drought. At its heart is an unusually complex array of water rights. This report summarizes challenges and suggests reforms to strengthen the state’s ability to weather droughts and shifting economic demands for water, while maintaining the existing seniority of water rights. Read a summary of the report’s policy recommendations.

Alternative Flame Retardants in San Francisco Bay: Synthesis and Strategy

San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) | September 3rd, 2018

The RMP Small Tributaries Loading Strategy (STLS) Team and the Sources, Pathways and Loadings Workgroup (SPLWG) developed and funded a $13,000 special study in 2018 to re

The RMP Small Tributaries Loading Strategy (STLS) Team and the Sources, Pathways and Loadings Workgroup (SPLWG) developed and funded a $13,000 special study in 2018 to review available data and previously developed conceptual models for polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) to support a stormwater-related alternative flame retardants conceptual model. This technical report summarizes the results of the study. 

Alternative management paradigms for the future of the Colorado and Green Rivers

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) | January 28th, 2021

The Colorado River is among the most extensively managed river systems in the world. The river’s headwaters are within the Rocky Mountains in the United States. From t

The Colorado River is among the most extensively managed river systems in the world. The river’s headwaters are within the Rocky Mountains in the United States. From there, it flows through the arid lands of the Colorado Plateau and the Basin-and-Range to its delta in northwestern Mexico. Here, the river is the only significant water supply in an otherwise starkly arid landscape and has long been called “America’s Nile.” It provides a critical water supply for nearly four million acres of irrigated land, municipal supplies for 30 million people located within and outside the basin, and more than 4,200 MW of hydropower generation capacity. The Colorado River and some of its tributaries also provide an existing or potential water supply for at least 15 Native American tribes. The river flows through seven National Wildlife Refuges, four National Recreation Areas, and five National Parks. Today, the annual consumptive uses and losses of streamflow in the basin typically exceed the amount of water available, and the river rarely flows into the Gulf of California. The impacts of climate change are likely to decrease future runoff and intensify droughts, thereby threatening current and future uses in the basin. Clearly, new ways of thinking about and managing the river need to be sought and implemented.

Alternative Water Transfers in Colorado: A Review of Alternative Transfer Mechanisms for Front Range Municipalities

Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) | November 1st, 2016

Alternative water transfers (ATMs) refer to various methods, activities, and frameworks that have been established to transfer water on a temporary or intermittent basis

Alternative water transfers (ATMs) refer to various methods, activities, and frameworks that have been established to transfer water on a temporary or intermittent basis, primarily from agriculture to other uses. They are labeled as “alternative” because they represent a type of water transfer that does not result in the permanent dry-up of agricultural land, which has been the primary form of water transfers in much of Colorado for decades. ATMs are a body of activities that represent general frameworks or concepts to be molded to the specific conditions of a place and need. The Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) obtained a grant opportunity to fund research, analysis, and outreach toward the development of ATMs with the potential to improve the financial returns and long-term viability of farming, maintain or improve streamflows which support environmental and recreational activities, and provide a cost-effective means for municipalities to maintain water supply reliability into the future. The purpose of this project is to develop a comprehensive financial comparison of the water supply development options currently pursued by municipalities to applicable ATMs and to develop recommendations that can increase the application of specific ATM structures with the potential joint benefits to municipal and agricultural water users.

Alternatives for Delta Water Transfers

California Department of Water Resources (DWR) | November 1st, 1983

Alternatives in Water Management, Publication 1408

National Academy of Sciences (NAS) | September 5th, 1966

The Committee on Water was appointed in 1964 by Frederick Seitz, President of the National Academy of Sciences. The Committee was to examine in some detail the important

The Committee on Water was appointed in 1964 by Frederick Seitz, President of the National Academy of Sciences. The Committee was to examine in some detail the important interactions between expanding knowledge concerning water resources and water use in the physical sciences, the social sciences, and engineering on the one hand, and increasingly complex decisions of public policy concerned with water resource management on the other.

Alternatives Report Post-2026 Operational Guidelines and Strategies for Lake Powell and Lake Mead

U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) | January 17th, 2025

In December 2007 the Secretary of the Interior adopted coordinated operating guidelines for operation of Glen Canyon Dam and Hoover Dam for an interim period that expires

In December 2007 the Secretary of the Interior adopted coordinated operating guidelines for operation of Glen Canyon Dam and Hoover Dam for an interim period that expires in 2026. To address long-term Colorado River operations after the expiration of these guidelines, the United States Department of the Interior initiated a National Environmental Policy Act process on June 16, 2023, to develop and adopt successor domestic guidelines and agreements for the operation of Glen Canyon Dam and Hoover Dam to take effect in mid-2026, before the current operational framework expires. On November 20, 2024, the Bureau of Reclamation published the range of alternatives planned for analysis in the draft environmental impact statement and committed to providing additional information in a subsequent report. This report describes these alternatives and the process for developing them in more detail. The alternatives were developed over the past year and incorporate considerable input received from the Colorado River Basin States, Colorado River Basin Tribes, conservation organizations, other federal agencies, and other stakeholders during that time. Throughout 2024, the Bureau of Reclamation worked extensively with these key partners to integrate their input into the range of alternatives. The alternatives identified in this report provide a reasonable and broad range of Colorado River operations that capture an appropriate range of potential environmental impacts from implementing new operational guidelines post-2026. Click here for USBR notes on the alternatives development process.