San Francisco Estuary Blueprint 2022

San Francisco Estuary Partnership (SFEP) | September 8th, 2022

In the past few years, the San Francisco Estuary region has confronted epic wildfires, historic rainfall intensity and flooding, and chronic drought. The whiplash of thes

In the past few years, the San Francisco Estuary region has confronted epic wildfires, historic rainfall intensity and flooding, and chronic drought. The whiplash of these events has confirmed that climate change has already begun to impact human and wildlife communities from Sacramento to San Francisco, and beyond. Furthermore, a global COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted regional planning and project implementation everywhere, presenting new challenges to traditional processes and creating an unfamiliar working landscape for resource managers. Finally, the pervasive, horrific violence against Black, Brown, and Asian and Asian-American people has amplified long-term calls for racial justice, galvanizing new commitments to address historic and present inequity through every thread of our social fabric. These events have set the context for the multi-stakeholder process that updates the San Francisco Estuary Blueprint.

San Joaquin River Flow and Southern Delta Salinity Technical Report

California State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) | October 10th, 2011

The State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board) is in the process of reviewing the San Joaquin River (SJR) flow objectives for the protection of fish and wild

The State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board) is in the process of reviewing the San Joaquin River (SJR) flow objectives for the protection of fish and wildlife beneficial uses, water quality objectives for the protection of southern delta agricultural beneficial uses, and the program of implementation for those objectives contained in the 2006 Water Quality Control Plan for the San Francisco Bay/Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Estuary (2006 Bay-Delta Plan). The information and analytical tools described in this report (referred to hereafter as Draft Technical Report or Technical Report) are intended to provide the State Water Board with the scientific information and tools needed to consider potential changes to these objectives and the program of implementation. In this quasi-legislative process, State Water Board staff will propose amendments to the SJR flow and southern Delta salinity objectives and program of implementation contained in the 2006 Bay-Delta Plan, and will comply with the California Environmental Quality Act including preparation of a Substitute Environmental Document (SED). The proposed amendments will include revisions to these objectives for the reasonable protection of fish and wildlife, agriculture, and municipal and industrial beneficial uses, and a program of implementation. Any changes to water rights consistent with the revised program of implementation will be considered in a subsequent adjudicative proceeding.

San Timoteo Watershed Management Authority, vs. City of Banning, et al.

Superior Court of California, County of Riverside | February 4th, 2004

Santa Clara Valley Water District 2015 Urban Water Management Plan

Santa Clara Valley Water District | May 1st, 2016

The Urban Water Management Planning Act (UWMP Act) (Division 6 Part 2.6 of California Water Code §10610 - 10656) requires the preparation of an Urban Water Management P

The Urban Water Management Planning Act (UWMP Act) (Division 6 Part 2.6 of California Water Code §10610 - 10656) requires the preparation of an Urban Water Management Plan (UWMP) every five years by water suppliers that provide over 3,000 acre-feet of water annually or serve water for municipal purposes either directly or indirectly to 3,000 or more customers. The Santa Clara Valley Water District (District) meets the definition of an urban water supplier and has prepared UWMPs since 1985. This 2015 UWMP documents important information on water supply, water usage, recycled water, water conservation programs, water shortage contingency planning, and water supply reliability in Santa Clara County. It also serves as a valuable resource for water supply planners and policy makers, and addresses the water supply future of Santa Clara County over the next 25 years. The 2015 UWMP updates and supersedes all previous UWMPs.... The District is an independent special district that provides wholesale water supply, groundwater management, flood protection and stream stewardship. Its service area includes all of Santa Clara County, which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay (Figure 3-1). The county encompasses approximately 1,300 square miles and has a population of about 1.9 million. Most water use occurs on the valley floor between the Santa Cruz Mountains to the west and the Diablo Range to the east. Northern Santa Clara County is home to Silicon Valley and the valley floor is highly urbanized. Southern Santa Clara County has some urban development, but much of the land use is still rural and agricultural. Click here for appendices

Santa Cruz Mid-County Groundwater Basin Boundary Modification

Soquel-Aptos Groundwater Management Committee | March 17th, 2016

This memorandum presents proposed boundary modifications to Department of Water Resources’ (DWR) Bulletin 118 groundwater basins within the mid-Santa Cruz Count

This memorandum presents proposed boundary modifications to Department of Water Resources’ (DWR) Bulletin 118 groundwater basins within the mid-Santa Cruz County area. These proposed modifications are submitted on behalf of the Soquel-Aptos Groundwater Management Committee (SAGMC), and consist primarily of consolidating four Bulletin 118 basins that make up the shared groundwater resource to be managed by the Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA) called the Santa Cruz Mid-County Groundwater Agency that SAGMC member agencies have agreed to form. These modifications will promote sustainable groundwater management by the proposed GSA by consolidating the management area into a single, continuous basin called the Santa Cruz Mid-County Groundwater Basin. The supporting information provided in following sections are presented per the requirements listed in Article 5 of The California Code of Regulations (CCR) Title 23, Division 2, Chapter 1.5, Subchapter 1, which is referenced throughout.

Santa Rosa Plain Groundwater Sustainability Plan

Santa Rosa Plain Groundwater Sustainability Agency | December 9th, 2021

Due to file size, this document is divided Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12

Due to file size, this document is divided Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12

Scenarios of Future California Water Demand Through 2050

California Department of Water Resources (DWR) | August 14th, 2014

This paper describes the application of future scenarios for Water Plan Update 2013 (DWR 2013) to quantify future water demand for California and our 10 hydrologic region

This paper describes the application of future scenarios for Water Plan Update 2013 (DWR 2013) to quantify future water demand for California and our 10 hydrologic regions out to the year 2050. Starting with the publication of California Water Plan Update 2005 (DWR 2005), DWR has applied the concept of scenarios to describe future water management conditions. Scenarios are used to capture a broad range of uncertain factors that affect water management that are considered to be beyond the control of water managers. For Update 2013 scenarios were organized around narrative themes of growth and climate change, which were then quantified using factors about future population growth, housing densities, land use patterns, and climate.  For Updates 2005 and 2009, DWR attempted only to quantify future water demand management strategies at the hydrologic region scale. The hydrologic regions are large areas of tens of thousands square miles, too large to compute meaningful information on regional water management actions. But in parallel to the hydrologic region scale analysis as in current Update 2013, DWR has been pursuing a longer term project, to perform a more complete hydrologic analysis at the finer planning area scale. Results and analysis of planning area water management strategies is given in a separate report.  In addition to this paper, background information on the application of scenarios can be found in Chapter 5 and 6 of Update 2013. Chapter 5 provides information how scenarios are used to quantify water management uncertainty. Chapter 6 describes DWR’s efforts to effect long term improvements in data and analytical tools to support the Water Plan. 

Science and Decision Making: Water Management and Tree‐Ring Data in the Western United States

American Water Resources Association (AWRA) | October 5th, 2009

Growing populations, limited resources, and sustained drought are placing increased pressure on already over‐allocated water supplies in the western United States, prom

Growing populations, limited resources, and sustained drought are placing increased pressure on already over‐allocated water supplies in the western United States, prompting some water managers to seek out and utilize new forms of climate data in their planning efforts. One source of information that is now being considered by water resource management is extended hydrologic records from tree‐ring data. Scientists with the Western Water Assessment (WWA) have been providing reconstructions of streamflow (i.e., paleoclimate data) to water managers in Colorado and other western states (Arizona, New Mexico, and Wyoming), and presenting technical workshops explaining the applications of tree‐ring data for water management for the past eight years. Little is known, however, about what has resulted from these engagements between scientists and water managers. Using in‐depth interviews and a survey questionnaire, we attempt to address this lack of information by examining the outcomes of the interactions between WWA scientists and western water managers to better understand how paleoclimate data has been translated to water resource management. This assessment includes an analysis of what prompts water managers to seek out tree‐ring data, how paleoclimate data are utilized by water managers in both quantitative and qualitative ways, and how tree‐ring data are interpreted in the context of organization mandates and histories. We situate this study within a framework that examines the coproduction of science and policy, where scientists and resource managers collectively define and examine research and planning needs, the activities of which are embedded within wider social and political contexts. These findings have broader applications for understanding science‐policy interactions related to climate and climate change in resource management, and point to the potential benefits of reflexive interactions of scientists and decision makers.

Scientist and Stakeholder Views on the Delta Ecosystem

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

There is broad scientific recognition that a wide range of ecosystem stressors are responsible for the declines in native fish populations in the Sacramento–San Joaquin

There is broad scientific recognition that a wide range of ecosystem stressors are responsible for the declines in native fish populations in the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta. But science and policymaking have been at odds about the roles of different stressors and the potential of various management actions to improve ecosystem health. In the summer of 2012, PPIC conducted two confidential surveys on the impact of ecosystem stressors: one sought input from scientific experts and the other focused on stakeholders and policymakers. This report analyzes the results and examines the implications of both surveys.

Scott Valley Integrated Hydrologic Model: Data Collection, Analysis, and Water Budget Final Report

University of California, Davis (UC Davis) | November 14th, 2017

The Scott Valley is an agricultural groundwater basin in Northern California, within the Scott River watershed and part of the much larger Klamath Basin watershed straddl

The Scott Valley is an agricultural groundwater basin in Northern California, within the Scott River watershed and part of the much larger Klamath Basin watershed straddling the California-Oregon border. The Scott River provides important habitat for salmonid fish, including spawning and rearing habitat for coho and fall-run Chinook salmon and steelhead trout. Sufficient flows at adequately low temperatures during summer, for rearing, and fall, for spawning, are critical for healthy fish habitat in the mainstem and tributaries. This report presents the data assembled and the methods used for data analysis and data modeling to prepare the Scott Valley Integrated Hydrologic Model Version 2, which is currently under development. The report includes precipitation data analysis, streamflow data analysis and modeling, geology and groundwater data review and analysis, evapotranspiration and soils data analysis, and preparation of relevant watershed, land use, topography, and irrigation data. The data collection and analysis efforts culminate in the development of a spatio-temporally distributed soil water budget model for the Scott Valley. The soil water budget model is used to determine spatially and temporally varying groundwater pumping rates, surface water diversion rates, and groundwater recharge across the groundwater basin. The spatial resolution of the soil water budget model is by individual fields (land use polygons). Temporal discretization is in daily time steps for the period from October 1, 1990 to September 30, 2011. This period includes several dry years, average years, and wet year periods. Methods and results of the soil water budget model are presented in this report. This report represents the next step toward a better understanding of the interactions between groundwater, surface water, land-use, and agricultural practices with a specific focus on the seasonal impacts of groundwater pumping on streamflow during critical low flow periods. The work presented here relies on an extensive data collection facilitated by the voluntary and active collaboration of communities, landowners, the Scott River Watershed Council (SRWC), the Siskiyou Resource Conservation District (SRCD), and the Scott Valley Groundwater Advisory Committee (GWAC) which has been appointed by the Board of Supervisors in January 2011, meeting monthly since April 2011 and advising UC Davis on its data collection and modeling efforts. In the data analysis and during the model development, numerous assumptions have been made as is common in building a conceptual and numerical integrated hydrologic model. Models cannot represent the complexity of the real system, but are an effort to capture salient hydrologic features with sufficient accuracy to develop modeling results that are useful for a better understanding of the watershed dynamics and water balance.