Dear Deeply Readers,
Welcome to the archives of Water Deeply. While we paused regular publication of the site on November 1, 2018, we are happy to serve as an ongoing public resource on water resilience. We hope you’ll enjoy the reporting and analysis that was produced by our dedicated community of editors and contributors.
We continue to produce events and special projects while we explore where the on-site journalism goes next. If you’d like to reach us with feedback or ideas for collaboration you can do so at [email protected].
Ian is the community editor for environment at News Deeply. Before joining News Deeply, he was a freelance science journalist in Boston with a focus on environmental law and policy. He has been published in Undark Magazine, FiveThirtyEight, Nautilus and more. Ian grew up in California, and before getting into journalism he planned on becoming an ecologist. Instead, he pursued science writing and in 2016 he earned an MS in science journalism from Boston University. When he has spare time, Ian likes to get out and go hiking, backpacking and birding.
Follow via RSS
California is close to awarding $2.7 billion to new water storage projects. Jay Lund of U.C. Davis and Rachel Zwillinger of Defenders of Wildlife explain the process and how it will impact the state.
In California’s Delta, native fish face a number of challenges. Scientists Peter Moyle and John Durand of the University of California, Davis discuss those obstacles and how they might be overcome.
California’s groundwater agencies need to create sustainability plans, says Michael Kiparsky of the University of California Berkeley School of Law, noting that, unless those plans also take surface water into account, they might not work.
How bad was the snowpack across the West this winter and what will that mean for farms, cities and wildlife? John Fleck of the University of New Mexico and Water Deeply Managing Editor Tara Lohan discuss in our latest Deeply Talks.
Water expert and author Sandra Postel talks about on-the-ground solutions and unlikely collaborations that are taking place to help tackle some of our most challenging water issues.
California has granted more than $34 million to desalination projects, and much of that money is going toward brackish water projects. That approach isn’t cheap or without environmental concerns, says Richard Mills of the Department of Water Resources.
Cap-and-trade systems have yet to be used for water conservation efforts, but that could change. Stanford University’s Newsha Ajami has developed a system to help water districts meet water conservation goals.
In the latest Deeply Talks, we talk with experts about the increasing importance of groundwater in California and the role of on-farm groundwater recharge.
The U.S. Water Alliance heard from 500 people in the water sector about the nation’s water challenges and solutions and distilled conversations down to seven key ideas, says Radhika Fox, the organization’s chief executive.
In the latest Deeply Talks, we talk to experts about wildfires, mudslides, infrastructure and what to keep an eye on in 2018 for water in the West.
In 2014 Californians approved Proposition 1. Ellen Hanak at the Public Policy Institute of California breaks down how much of that $7.5 billion has been appropriated so far and what that means for future water spending.
Across California, droughts, floods and fires are straining the state’s aging infrastructure. Jamesine Rogers Gibson of the Union of Concerned Scientists says the state needs to prepare infrastructure for the uncertain impacts of climate change.
Many food and beverage companies operating in the West are preparing for water risks. In our latest Water Deeply talk, Tara Lohan speaks with three experts about water security challenges and benefits.
Litigation over the killing of beavers in Oregon may set a precedent by highlighting the important role that the animals play in ecosystem health, says journalist Ben Goldfarb.
California’s State Water Board recently passed new policies that will regulate water impacts from marijuana growing operations. Erin Ragazzi and Scott Couch of the Water Board discuss the challenges.
Effective water markets in California could help solve some of the state’s water woes, but that is easier said than done. Water Deeply talks with experts about how to thoughtfully structure water markets.
The website Maven’s Notebook has been a major source of California water information for years. Now Maven’s creator, Chris Austin, wants to take it one step further with a new digital library.
David O’Neill and Karyn Stockdale of the National Audubon Society talk about a recent report that highlights the threats to two major habitats used by migrating birds in the West: saline lakes and riparian habitat along the Colorado River.
The world watched the tragic flooding in Texas, Florida and the Caribbean. U.C. Davis’ Nicholas Pinter says the shocking events should spur states like California to think about and improve their own flood management.
Not everyone sees drought, pollution and water woes as issues in Colorado. A report by Conservation Colorado hopes to change that by evaluating the health of eight major rivers in the state.
Have a story idea? Interested in adding your voice to our growing community?
Learn more