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A Measure of Snow: Case Studies of the Snow Survey and Water Supply Forecasting Program

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A Measure of Snow: Case Studies of the Snow Survey and Water Supply Forecasting Program
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Natural Resources Conservation Service | September 1, 2010...
Summary
Snow depth and snow water content data have been collected and disseminated throughout the W estern United States for over 100 years. Early...

Snow depth and snow water content data have been collected and disseminated throughout the W estern United States for over 100 years. Early Snow Survey and Water Supply Forecasting data were gathered through the efforts of university scientists. In 1935, the Soil Conservation Service (SCS) was given $36,000 to establish a formal cooperative Snow Survey and Water Supply Forecasting (SSWSF) Program. The agency was charged with the responsibility for “conducting Snow Survey and Water Supply Forecast s and forecasting of irrigation water supplies.” The new program would also develop consistent methods for measuring snow and reliable models for water supply forecasting.

Using a case study approach, this report assesses the various uses of data gathered and published by the SSWSF Program and estimates the value of those data in terms of both the market and non-market values of the information. Additionally, it evaluate s the relative merits of maintaining the program as a publicly funded program as opposed to privatizing the program.

This study finds that the SSWSF Program is generating both market and non-market benefits to the U.S. economy and to U.S. society as a whole that are worth significantly more than the cost of the program. Should climate variability increase — as is expected by many of those interviewed in the course of completing this study, and as current climate research strongly suggests — the value of the information provided by the SSWSF Program will increase accordingly.

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A Technical Advisor’s Manual Managing Agricultural Irrigation Drainage Water: A guide for developing Integrated On-Farm Drainage Management Systems
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A Technical Advisor’s Manual Managing Agricultural Irrigation Drainage Water: A guide for developing Integrated On-Farm Drainage Management Systems
California State Water Resources Control Board | September 29, 2005...
Summary
This manual is part of a two-part educational and outreach program to educate landowners and technical advisors about the advantages, disadvantages, costs, environmental...
This manual is part of a two-part educational and outreach program to educate landowners and technical advisors about the advantages, disadvantages, costs, environmental regulations and other considerations in developing and implementing an Integrated On-Farm Drainage Management program for salinity control.

The first part of the educational program focused on the production and distribution of a guidance manual designed for landowners. It was released in 2004.

This manual is the second component of the program, and is designed to provide technical consultants and support personnel with the tools they need to assist farmers with developing and implementing an effective IFDM program.

An IFDM system can serve as a viable alternative for landowners who may not choose to participate in a voluntary land retirement program for drainage-impacted lands. Once irrigation systems have been optimized to maximize water use efficiency and to minimize the production of subsurface drainage water, an IFDM system can be designed to enable the landowner to process the resulting drainage water on-farm. Interest in IFDM is increasing.

The merits of IFDM have been recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the State Water Resources Control Board through the award of a Clean Water Act Section 319(h) Grant to educate farmers and to train professionals about IFDM implementation. Both manuals were funded by the grant, targeting the needs of the landowners, water/drainage district managers, engineers and technical professionals.

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Agricultural Irrigation in This Drought: Where is the Water and Where Is It Going?
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Agricultural Irrigation in This Drought: Where is the Water and Where Is It Going?
University of California Giannini Foundation of Agricultural Economics | May 14, 2015...
Summary
In the midst of its fourth year of drought, California now faces an estimated reduction in surface-water availability of 8.8 million acre-feet (maf)...
In the midst of its fourth year of drought, California now faces an estimated reduction in surface-water availability of 8.8 million acre-feet (maf) out of 29 maf in agricultural applied water statewide. However, groundwater, the buffer water supply during drought, is replacing about 6.2 maf of surface water via additional pumping. This increased groundwater pumping is in addition to the 1.5 maf of annual average groundwater overdraft in the Central Valley. The net reduction of 2.6 maf in the total supply in 2015 may result in about 564,000 acres fallowed statewide, or about 120,000 more acres than last year's fallowing estimates.

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Agricultural Land Stewardship (Resource Management Strategy)
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Agricultural Land Stewardship (Resource Management Strategy)
California Department of Water Resources (DWR) | July 29, 2016...
Summary
This resource management strategy focuses primarily on private land in agriculture including cultivated land and rangeland. Agricultural land in California comprises about 31.6...
This resource management strategy focuses primarily on private land in agriculture including cultivated land and rangeland. Agricultural land in California comprises about 31.6 million acres (California Department of Conservation, Division of Land Resource Protection, Farmland Mapping and Monitoring Program 2008). About 12.4 million of these acres are cultivated, while the remaining 19.2 million acres are rangeland (California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection 2010).

Agricultural systems in California are varied in the way resources are used, ranging from intensive conventional agriculture (irrigated crop cultivation) to more extensive systems such as livestock grazing, each with a different relationship to natural resources. They also affect and are affected by surface hydrology and groundwater recharge in different ways. Stewardship of this land requires constant balancing among natural constraints, market forces, and ever-changing social expectations. Institutions and policies have been developed in response to these challenges. Public investment in water infrastructure (reservoirs, canals, drains, levees, dykes) has been in the forefront of these.

This resource management strategy report focuses on agricultural land stewardship (ALS) strategies that can be incorporated into relevant adaptive management of agricultural land at different levels, including landscape, regional and project.

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Agricultural Losses from Salinity in California’s Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta
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Agricultural Losses from Salinity in California’s Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta
San Francisco Estuary and Watershed Science | April 5, 2014...
Summary
Sea level rise, large-scale flooding, and new conveyance arrangements for water exports may increase future water salinity for local agricultural production in California’s...
Sea level rise, large-scale flooding, and new conveyance arrangements for water exports may increase future water salinity for local agricultural production in California’s Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta. Increasing salinity in crop root zones often decreases crop yields and crop revenues. Salinity effects are nonlinear and vary with crop choice and other factors including drainage and residence time of irrigation water.

Here, we explore changes in agricultural production in the Delta under various combinations of water management, large-scale flooding, and future sea level rise. Water management alternatives include through-Delta water exports (current conditions), dual conveyance (through-Delta and a 6,700 Mm3 yr?1 [or 7500 cfs] capacity peripheral canal or tunnel) and the flooding of five western islands with and without peripheral exports. We employ results from previous hydrodynamic simulations of likely changes in salinity for irrigation water at points in the Delta. We connect these irrigation water salinity values into a detailed agro-economic model of Delta agriculture to estimate local crop yield and farm revenue losses.

Previous hydrodynamic modeling work shows that sea level rise is likely to increase salinity from 4% to 130% in this century, depending on the increase in sea level and location. Changes in water management under dual conveyance increase salinity mostly in the western Delta, and to a lesser extent in the north, where current salinity levels are now quite low. Because locations likely to experience the largest salinity increases already have a lower-value crop mix, the worst-case losses are less than 1% of total Delta crop revenues. This result also holds for salinity increases from permanent flooding of western islands that serve as a salinity barrier.

Our results suggest that salinity increases could have much smaller economic effects on Delta farming than other likely changes in the Delta such as the retirement of agricultural lands after large-scale flooding and habitat development. Integrating hydrodynamic, water salinity, and economic models can provide insights into controversial management issues.

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Agricultural Water Conservation and Efficiency Potential in California
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Agricultural Water Conservation and Efficiency Potential in California
Pacific Institute | June 10, 2014...
Summary
Agriculture uses about 80 percent of California’s developed water supply. As such a large user, it is heavily impacted by the availability and...
Agriculture uses about 80 percent of California’s developed water supply. As such a large user, it is heavily impacted by the availability and reliability of California’s water resources. Agriculture can also play an important role in helping the state achieve a more sustainable water future. The challenge is to transition to an agricultural sector that supplies food and fiber to California and the world and supports rural livelihoods and long-term sustainable water use.

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Agricultural Water Use Efficiency (Resource Management Strategy)
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Agricultural Water Use Efficiency (Resource Management Strategy)
Department of Water Resources | July 29, 2016...
Summary
The agricultural water use efficiency strategy describes the use and application of scientific processes to control agricultural water delivery and use to achieve...
The agricultural water use efficiency strategy describes the use and application of scientific processes to control agricultural water delivery and use to achieve a beneficial outcome. It includes an estimation of net water savings or increased production resulting from implementing efficiency measures as expressed by the ratio of output to input, resulting benefits, and strategies to achieve efficiency and benefits.

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Applying the connectivity approach: Water and food supply projects in California that connect, link, and engage
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Applying the connectivity approach: Water and food supply projects in California that connect, link, and engage
California Roundtable on Water and Food Supply | April 11, 2014...
Summary
In delving into the connectivity concept and approach, members of the California Roundtable on Water and Food Supply (CRWFS) felt that it was...
In delving into the connectivity concept and approach, members of the California Roundtable on Water and Food Supply (CRWFS) felt that it was very important to look to existing and emerging projects that were already embracing the concepts being discussed. Projects were selected to highlight the three high priority areas for effecting change: connected thinking, institutional linkages, and public engagement.

The five examples included in this booklet as case assessments illustrate several ways the connectivity approach is currently being applied throughout California. The assessments are intended to generate ideas for applying the guiding principles of the connectivity approach and the positive impacts that emerge from them. The assessments are not meant to serve as an evaluation of the merit of the projects.

This booklet is intended to accompany From Crisis to Connectivity: Renewed Thinking About Managing California’s Water and Food Supply, which more fully describes the connectivity approach illustrated here.

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Better late than never: a synthesis of strategic land retirement and restoration in California

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Better late than never: a synthesis of strategic land retirement and restoration in California
Ecosphere | August 10, 2018...
Summary
Strategic retirement and restoration of agricultural lands is a critical conservation opportunity globally. The objective of this synthesis was to examine whether ecological habitat...
Strategic retirement and restoration of agricultural lands is a critical conservation opportunity globally. The objective of this synthesis was to examine whether ecological habitat assessments, endangered species historical occurrence data, and restoration research can be used to develop evidence-based strategy for retiring and restoring agricultural lands.

The San Joaquin Desert (SJD) of California is a prominent example because it experienced an extensive conversion to agriculture. Now, new groundwater regulations will lead to retirement on large areas of agricultural lands over the next 20 years. This presents an opportunity to not only restore some of these lands but also explore the challenges associated with balancing direct human needs with other ecosystem-level functions. California is thus an ideal case study for globally rethinking context-specific, single-case study solutions. We used a systematic review and synthesis to address the following three main questions for habitat recovery of endangered species in the SJD.

(1) What are the habitat requirements for key endangered animal species in the region?

(2) Is there historical evidence to support an assessment of suitable habitats for these species?

(3) What restoration techniques apply to these species?

Using the Web of Science and other resources, we reviewed over 1000 independent studies on this topic, refined the evidence, and selected a total of 266 relevant publications. Habitat requirements for each species were described, but there was a critical need to examine quantitative thresholds for these factors to better evaluate habitat suitability of retired lands. There was sufficient evidence of historical vegetation to model suitable habitats and design the physical restoration of retired lands. Direct interventions associated with restoration strategies have been infrequently tested. Sparse and diverse evidence associated with direct experimental manipulations is not uncommon in applied ecology, and synthesis is an excellent tool for highlighting these gaps for future research to examine. This review suggests that retired agricultural land is a viable asset for threatened and endangered species, but to effectively advance restoration research and management, direct tests of restoration techniques and an assessment of relative costs for interventions are needed for a given region.

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Broadening understandings of drought: the climate vulnerability of farmworkers and rural communities in California (USA)

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Broadening understandings of drought: the climate vulnerability of farmworkers and rural communities in California (USA)
Environmental Science and Policy, Elsevier | November 1, 2018...
Summary
The vulnerability of food and agricultural systems to climate variability and change is extensively studied. However, the vulnerability of agricultural labor is largely ignored...
The vulnerability of food and agricultural systems to climate variability and change is extensively studied. However, the vulnerability of agricultural labor is largely ignored in climate vulnerability and adaptation studies, especially in the context of developed countries. This research examines the drought vulnerability of farmworkers both in the fields and in their communities by analyzing how changes in water resources and agricultural practices impact socioeconomic drought. A combination of surveys and semi-structured interviews with farmworkers, farmers, and social service providers in California’s San Joaquin Valley is used to identify the impacts of drought on agricultural labor, water security, food security, and health. Findings demonstrate that drought impacts and vulnerabilities are multi-scalar and uneven. Agricultural drought adaptations, including increase in groundwater pumping and changes in crops, reshapes the vulnerability of farmworkers and rural communities. There is a need for continued interdisciplinary research on the socioeconomic dimensions of drought as well as increased representation of needs and vulnerabilities of farmworkers and rural communities in drought and climate change adaptation planning.

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A Measure of Snow: Case Studies of the Snow Survey and Water Supply Forecasting Program

A Measure of Snow: Case Studies of the Snow Survey and Water Supply Forecasting Program

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A Technical Advisor’s Manual Managing Agricultural Irrigation Drainage Water: A guide for developing Integrated On-Farm Drainage Management Systems

A Technical Advisor’s Manual Managing Agricultural Irrigation Drainage Water: A guide for developing Integrated On-Farm Drainage Management Systems

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Agricultural Irrigation in This Drought: Where is the Water and Where Is It Going?

Agricultural Irrigation in This Drought: Where is the Water and Where Is It Going?

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Agricultural Land Stewardship (Resource Management Strategy)

Agricultural Land Stewardship (Resource Management Strategy)

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Agricultural Losses from Salinity in California’s Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta

Agricultural Losses from Salinity in California’s Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta

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Agricultural Water Conservation and Efficiency Potential in California

Agricultural Water Conservation and Efficiency Potential in California

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Agricultural Water Use Efficiency (Resource Management Strategy)

Agricultural Water Use Efficiency (Resource Management Strategy)

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Applying the connectivity approach: Water and food supply projects in California that connect, link, and engage

Applying the connectivity approach: Water and food supply projects in California that connect, link, and engage

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Better late than never: a synthesis of strategic land retirement and restoration in California

Better late than never: a synthesis of strategic land retirement and restoration in California

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Broadening understandings of drought: the climate vulnerability of farmworkers and rural communities in California (USA)

Broadening understandings of drought: the climate vulnerability of farmworkers and rural communities in California (USA)

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