Contribution of historical precipitation change to US flood damages

Publisher not available | January 26th, 2021

Precipitation extremes have increased across many regions of the United States, with further increases anticipated in response to additional global warming. Quantifying

Precipitation extremes have increased across many regions of the United States, with further increases anticipated in response to additional global warming. Quantifying the impact of these precipitation changes on flood damages is necessary to estimate the costs of climate change. However, there is little empirical evidence linking changes in precipitation to the historically observed increase in flood losses. We use >6,600 reports of state-level flood damage to quantify the historical relationship between precipitation and flood damages in the United States. Our results show a significant, positive effect of both monthly and 5-d state-level precipitation on state-level flood damages. In addition, we find that historical precipitation changes have contributed approximately one-third of cumulative flood damages over 1988 to 2017 (primary estimate 36%; 95% CI 20 to 46%), with the cumulative impact of precipitation change totaling $73 billion (95% CI 39 to $91 billion). Further, climate models show that anthropogenic climate forcing has increased the probability of exceeding precipitation thresholds at the extremely wet quantiles that are responsible for most flood damages. Climate models project continued intensification of wet conditions over the next three decades, although a trajectory consistent with UN Paris Agreement goals significantly curbs that intensification. Taken together, our results quantify the contribution of precipitation trends to recent increases in flood damages, advance estimates of the costs associated with historical greenhouse gas emissions, and provide further evidence that lower levels of future warming are very likely to reduce financial losses relative to the current global warming trajectory.

Contributions of recycled wastewater to clean water and sanitation Sustainable Development Goals

Clean Water | April 30th, 2020

Water resources are essential for every development activity, not only in terms of available quantity but also in terms of quality. Population growth and urbani

Water resources are essential for every development activity, not only in terms of available quantity but also in terms of quality. Population growth and urbanisation are increasing the number of users and uses of water, making water resources scarcer and more polluted. Changes in rainfall patterns threaten to worsen these effects in many areas. Water scarcity, due to physical lack or pollution, has become one of the most pressing issues globally, a matter of human, economic and environmental insecurity. Wastewater, whose value had not been appreciated until recently, is increasingly recognised as a potential ‘new’ source of clean water for potable and non-potable uses, resulting in social, environmental and economic benefits. This paper discusses the potential of recycled wastewater (also known as reused water) to become a significant source of safe water for drinking purposes and improved sanitation in support of the Sustainable Development Goals.

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.

Corning Subbasin Groundwater Sustainability Plan

Tehama County Flood Control and Water Conservation District | December 20th, 2021

Preparation of this GSP is the first step for the GSAs to achieve groundwater sustainability in the Corning Subbasin. To evaluate progress toward groundwater sustainabili

Preparation of this GSP is the first step for the GSAs to achieve groundwater sustainability in the Corning Subbasin. To evaluate progress toward groundwater sustainability during implementation, annual reports and 5-year updates to the GSP will be prepared as required by SGMA. The GSAs recognize that sustainability is only possible with support of stakeholders and coordination of local, state, tribal and federal agencies and the managed use of both surface and groundwater resources. While SGMA does not require the Plan to address California’s Public Trust Doctrine, a 2018 California Court of Appeal ruling found that groundwater pumping that reduces the flow or volume of water in a navigable stream (and tributaries that supply navigable streams) may violate the public trust. This Plan recognizes the importance of protecting public trust resources, including fish and wildlife, in the Subbasin’s streams that are connected to groundwater.

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

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

Coupling a spatiotemporally distributed soil water budget with stream-depletion functions to inform stakeholder-driven management of groundwater-dependent ecosystems

Water Resources Research, American Geophysical Union | November 12th, 2013

Groundwater pumping, even if only seasonal, may significantly impact groundwater-dependent ecosystems through increased streamflow depletion, particularly in semiarid and

Groundwater pumping, even if only seasonal, may significantly impact groundwater-dependent ecosystems through increased streamflow depletion, particularly in semiarid and arid regions. The effects are exacerbated, under some conditions, by climate change. In social sciences, the management of groundwater-dependent ecosystems is generally considered a “wicked” problem due to the complexity of affected stakeholder groups, disconnected legal frameworks, and a divergence of policies and science at the cross road between groundwater and surface water, and between ecosystems and water quality. A range of often simplified scientific tools plays an important role in addressing such problems. Here we develop a spatiotemporally distributed soil water budget model that we couple with an analytical model for stream depletion from groundwater pumping to rapidly assess seasonal impacts of groundwater pumping on streamflow during critical low flow periods. We demonstrate the applicability of the tool for the Scott Valley in Northern California, where protected salmon depend on summer streamflow fed by cool groundwater. In this example, simulations suggest that increased recharge in the period immediately preceding the critical low streamflow season, and transfer of groundwater pumping away from the stream are potentially promising tools to address ecosystem concerns, albeit raising difficult infrastructure and water trading issues. In contrast, additional winter recharge at the expense of later spring recharge, whether intentional or driven by climate may reduce summer streamflows. Comparison to existing detailed numerical groundwater model results suggests that the coupled soil water mass balance—stream depletion function approach provides a viable tool for scenario development among stakeholders, to constructively inform the search for potential solutions, and to direct more detailed, complex site-specific feasibility studies. The tool also identifies important field monitoring efforts needed to improve the understanding and quantification of site-specific groundwater-stream interactions.

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 Basin Groundwater Sustainability Plan

Cuyama Basin Groundwater Sustainability Agency (CBGSA) | December 4th, 2019

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 Groundwater Sustainability Plan Data Collection - Pilot Study Results

Central Valley Salinity Alternatives for Long-Term Sustainability (CV-SALTS) | February 1st, 2024

The purpose of Prioritization & Optimization (P&O) Study Task 5.3 (Information Extraction from Groundwater Sustainability Plans [GSP]) is to extract and organize relevan

The purpose of Prioritization & Optimization (P&O) Study Task 5.3 (Information Extraction from Groundwater Sustainability Plans [GSP]) is to extract and organize relevant GSP data and information that can be used to (1) validate or refine information contained in the P&O Study’s CV-SWAT watershed model (developed to support ongoing baseline characterization work); (2) support the eventual development of salinity management alternatives within specified planning areas; and (3) help ensure that long-term Central Valley salt planning considers ongoing Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA) planning efforts, which is of particular interest to the State Water Resources Control Board.