Water: Time for a Fresh Look at What Works, What Doesn’t and What to Do About It
Water: Time for a Fresh Look at What Works, What Doesn’t and What to Do About It For decades, California has been stuck in a Groundhog-Day-like water debate that pits fish and the environment against humans, farms and other water needs. Presented as a zero-sum game, we are told it is necessary for one set […]
No Chicken Little, the Sky is Not Falling
No Chicken Little, the Sky is Not Falling A quick scan of California news over the last few weeks could lead the casual reader to conclude that smelt, salmon and other species are days from extinction and the only thing that will save them is taking water from people, farms and other environmental uses and […]
Smart Policy- Real Solutions
California’s way of life is sustained by our flowing water. From farm fields and grocery store shelves, to city streets- moving water affects us all. Modern water management in the State focuses on two principles- moving water from places and times of abundance to places and times of need efficiently, and balancing the needs of […]
A deep dive into the shallow end
California Magazine, the publication of the UC Berkeley Alumni Association, recently published an article by Glen Martin on California water issues. Titled, A Deep Dive Into California’s Recurring Drought Problem, the article contains a number of recommendations that, if implemented, would devastate large parts of California’s economy, without a significant improvement in California’s available water […]
GUEST BLOG: Australia’s Water Management Controversy
By STEFANIE SCHULTE Water Policy Manager New South Wales Irrigators’ Council The old adage “when it rains, it pours” seems quite apt in the context of Australia’s recent water woes. What started with a mainstream news report aired by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in late July about alleged water theft of Federal environmental water in […]
Rising water prices hurt our farms and communities
When people talk about the effects of water shortage on the farms and communities of California, they can be tempted to say that rising statewide sales receipts prove that no harm has been done. If only that were true. Unfortunately, the reality is- harm has been done, and overall farm crop sales just aren’t a […]
Salmon can thrive without State’s unimpaired flow plan
Peter Fimrite’s story in the San Francisco Chronicle (http://bit.ly/2AOyfBh) brings a positive message about higher numbers of this year’s Fall run Chinook salmon on the Mokelumne River. According to Fimrite, near record numbers of fish have returned, thanks to efforts behind stream bed and habitat improvements. Interestingly, this success has been achieved without a massive […]
CDEC Reservoir Levels Map Copy
California’s Daily Reservoir Levels, per Department of Water Resources’ CDEC [advanced_iframe securitykey=”a60953ca2f356ec54475f2533d06b99879abe615″ src=”https://cdec.water.ca.gov/resapp/RescondMain.do#page_container” width=”90%” height=”945px”]
Smart Policies- Multiple Benefits in Floodplains
Securing California’s water future for farms, families and native species is possible. When we pursue smart policies that foster innovative solutions, everyone benefits. One example of these smart policy solutions is the use of strategically expandable floodplains found in the Central Valley Flood Protection Plan. How can changing how we think about storm flows and […]