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].
Tara Lohan is managing editor of Water Deeply. She tweets from @taralohan and lives in San Francisco. You can reach her at [email protected]
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Designated by the United Nations General Assembly in 1993, World Water Day helps put a spotlight on a range of global water issues. While water scarcity and pollution are most severe in developing countries, the United States has its share of concerns, too.
Many cities in Silicon Valley are working to develop new sources of water to avoid shortfalls in future decades, but East Palo Alto is already at a critical point. The city needs more water in order to spur much-needed economic development and new housing. Here’s how it hopes to get there.
As chair of California’s Water Resources Control Board, Felicia Marcus has her hand in water rights, drinking water programs and conservation regulations, among other things. She recently talked to Water Deeply about her experiences helping to manage water resources during California’s drought.
Most of the water supplied to residents of Silicon Valley come from imported sources through either state and federal canals, or the Hetch Hetchy system. But now, water agencies are looking to develop new, local water sources thanks to the pressure from drought, climate change and population growth.
The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission provides water to 2.6 million customers. We talked to the director of water resources, Paula Kehoe, about how the agency is enabling onsite water reuse systems, drilling new groundwater wells and achieving some of the state’s lowest per capita water use.
Many of the fixes for California’s water problems will be costly and take years to implement. But there are still some easier solutions that require a much lighter lift from water agencies and their customers. Some of these can be aided by financial incentives or strong regulations.
California’s four years of drought pale in comparison to the 15 drought years Australians endured. But Australia’s pain may help ease California’s gain thanks to a new report, “Managing Drought,” which boils down some of the key lessons learned.
Silicon Valley communities have responded positively to local and statewide conservation mandates, reducing water use by letting lawns brown or replacing them with drought-tolerant plants. But what effects have their efforts had – and will they translate to more permanent water savings?
Farmers have been resilient in the face of drought conditions for the last four years. But each year of drought becomes more difficult. We talk to Richard Howitt, professor emeritus of agricultural and resource economics at U.C. Davis about what farmers are doing to weather the drought.
Depending on where you live in San Mateo or Santa Clara counties there are many places your water could come from – and, as the drought has shown, some of those sources are more reliable than others. Here’s a look at the pros and cons of the most important sources.
How much do you know about what happens to the water you use after it goes down the drain? We spoke to Nick Hansen, a wastewater treatment plant operator, about the other side of our water use and how wastewater plants are helping with drought solutions, such as producing recycled water.
Water Education Foundation’s executive director Jennifer Bowles talked to Water Deeply about why water literacy in California is so important, in both wet and dry years – and how to bring different voices to the table to work on the state’s complicated water issues.
A new report from the Pacific Institute has tallied how four years of drought has impacted electricity prices and pollution from the electricity sector. Reduced flows of surface water has meant less hydropower and more natural gas, which is not good for the wallet or the environment.
Many water agencies are hiking water rates in response to declining revenue after customers began conserving water. Tom Ash talked to Water Deeply about how agencies can change their rate structures to increase conservation, cover their costs and make sure that their rates are equitable.
The state hasn’t had a new large dam since 1979, but that may change with the pressures of the drought and the passage of the 2014 water bond dedicating money to new water storage projects. Five options for new or enlarged reservoirs are being considered, but one may have a better chance than others.
Juliet Christian-Smith, a climate scientist with the Union of Concerned Scientists, talked to Water Deeply about the two things we need to ensure a reliable water supply in the future. And she explained why the best climate science should guide our water resources planning.
Author Cynthia Barnett tells Water Deeply what she’s learned researching, writing and promoting three books on water: There is no single Big Fix for our water problems, but there are many positive ways we can respond to the crisis, the most important of which is to develop a “water ethic”.
The latest three-month forecast for California contains both good news and bad. While the weather is expected to be wetter than usual, it will also be warmer. Here’s what this means in terms of the duration and severity of California’s drought.
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