The Role of Permitting Regimes in Western United States Groundwater Management

National Groundwater Association (NGWA) | October 12th, 2016

The Role of Snowpack, Rainfall, and Reservoirs in Buffering California Against Drought Effects

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

California’s vast reservoir system, fed by annual snow and rainfall, plays an important part in providing water to the State’s human and wildlife population. There ar

California’s vast reservoir system, fed by annual snow and rainfall, plays an important part in providing water to the State’s human and wildlife population. There are almost 1,300 reservoirs throughout the State, but only approximately 200 of them are considered storage reservoirs, and many of the larger ones are critical components of the Federal Central Valley Project and California State Water Project. Storage reservoirs, such as the ones shown in figure 1, capture winter precipitation for use in California’s dry summer months. In addition to engineered reservoir storage, California also depends on water “stored” in the statewide snowpack, which slowly melts during the course of the summer, to augment the State’s water supply.

The Role of Tidal Marsh Restoration in Fish Management in the San Francisco Estuary

University of California, Davis (UC Davis) | March 1st, 2014

Tidal marsh restoration is an important management issue in the San Francisco Estuary (estuary). Restoration of large areas of tidal marsh is ongoing or planned in the lo

Tidal marsh restoration is an important management issue in the San Francisco Estuary (estuary). Restoration of large areas of tidal marsh is ongoing or planned in the lower estuary (up to 6,000 ha, Callaway et al. 2011). Large areas are proposed for restoration in the upper estuary under the Endangered Species Act biological opinions (3,237 ha) and the Bay Delta Conservation Plan (26,305 ha). In the lower estuary, tidal marsh has proven its value to a wide array of species that live within it (Palaima 2012). In the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta (Delta), one important function ascribed to restoration of freshwater tidal marshes is that they make large contributions to the food web of fish in open waters (BDCP 2013). The Ecosystem Restoration Program ascribed a suite of ecological functions to tidal marsh restoration, including habitat and food web benefits to native fish (CDFW 2010). This background was the basis for a symposium (Tidal Marshes and Native Fishes in the Delta: Will Restoration Make a Difference?) held at the University of California, Davis, on June 10, 2013. This paper summarizes conclusions the authors drew from the symposium.

The Role of Water Transfers in Meeting California's Water Needs

Legislative Analyst's Office (LAO) | September 9th, 2008

If water transfers are to help the state meet its water needs, we think that the Legislature should address a number of issues, including impediments to transfers and sta

If water transfers are to help the state meet its water needs, we think that the Legislature should address a number of issues, including impediments to transfers and stakeholder concerns about potential negative impacts of transfers on "third parties." Statutory policy on water transfers should be clarified and made more consistent.

The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta: The Evolution and Implementation of Water Policy: An Historical Perspective

University of California, Davis (UC Davis) | June 1st, 1977

This report is a history of the attempts to control the encroachment of salinity from San Francisco Bay into the Delta of the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers from 1920

This report is a history of the attempts to control the encroachment of salinity from San Francisco Bay into the Delta of the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers from 1920 to the present. Two basic solutions to the problem present themselves: the physical separation of salt water from fresh water by means of a barrier at some point downstream from the Delta, or the release of sufficient water from upstream storage reservoirs to drive back tidal salinity.

The Salinity of Rivers

Scientific American | July 1st, 1981

Many ancient civilizations rose by diverting rivers and irrigating arid lands to grow crops. For such projects to succeed human beings had to learn to work cooperativ

Many ancient civilizations rose by diverting rivers and irrigating arid lands to grow crops. For such projects to succeed human beings had to learn to work cooperatively toward a common objective. The most fruitful of the ancient systems was created at the southeastern end of the Fertile Crescent, the broad valley formed by the Tigris and the Euphrates in what is now Iraq. From there civ il ization spread eastward through present-day Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and thence into China, wherever rivers disgorged through valleys of recently deposited alluvial soil. At its peak of productivity each irrigated region probably supported well over a million people. All these civilizations ultimately collapsed, and for the same reason: the land became so salty that crops could no longer be grown on it. The salts that were washed out of the soil at higher elevations became concentrated in the irrigated fields as the water evaporated from the surface and transpired through the leaves of the growing crops. Although floods, plagues and wars took their toll, in the end the civilizations based on irrigation faded away because of salination.

The Salton Sea: A Status Update

Legislative Analyst's Office (LAO) | August 29th, 2018

The San Francisco Bay-Delta Agreement: Principles for Agreement on Bay-Delta Standards Between the State of California and the Federal Government

California State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) | December 15th, 1994

The San Francisco Bay-Delta: A failure of decision-making capacity

Environmental Science & Policy (Elsevier) | August 12th, 2009

The paper reviews the history of Bay-Delta decision-making in California in order to highlight the continuity between what happened with CALFED and what happened in the

The paper reviews the history of Bay-Delta decision-making in California in order to highlight the continuity between what happened with CALFED and what happened in the preceding decades since water project deliveries began in 1949. Throughout this period, there has been intense conflict about whether and how to transfer water from the Bay-Delta to users elsewhere—a conflict marked by a fundamental opposition of interests among stakeholders. We document how the State of California has failed to organize itself effectively to resolve this conflict and make a decision on how to manage the Delta. The strategy consistently adopted by the State was to encourage the main parties – agricultural and urban water diverters, and fisheries and other instream-protection interests – to work out a solution among themselves, rather than imposing one externally. However, economic theory suggests that a bargaining solution is unlikely to exist because of the extreme opposition of interest among the parties. The Bay-Delta history amply confirms this theoretical prediction. Thus, the State’s strategy of relying on voluntary agreement to resolve the issue is fundamentally misconceived and is, at some level, an abdication of its responsibility.

The Science and Prediction of Post-Fire Debris Flows in the Western United States

U.S. Forest Service (USDA) | August 1st, 2017

Debris flows are among the most destructive hydrological consequences of fires in steep watersheds. The high likelihood of catastrophic wildfires in the western U

Debris flows are among the most destructive hydrological consequences of fires in steep watersheds. The high likelihood of catastrophic wildfires in the western United States and the encroachment of human activities into steep fire-prone areas have created the need to better understand, predict, and mitigate these hazards. This article highlights recent advances in understanding post-fire debris-flow generation and provides an overview of the evolution of hazard assessments in the western United States. Specific emphasis is placed upon free, publicly available toolsdeveloped by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and available for analyses in support of Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) and Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) program activities. These tools consist of empirical models that predict the likelihood, potential volume, and the rainfall intensity-duration thresholds for debris flows in recently burned watersheds.