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].
The remote town of Nipton in the Mojave Desert has been bought by the United States’ largest publicly traded marijuana company, which will rely entirely on groundwater to develop a new cannabis-themed resort.
The Ojai Valley in Ventura County relies solely on local water sources, but in light of a continued dry spell and concerns over future supplies, it’s looking at several options to diversify.
California is beginning to take stock of the damage caused by a series of wildfires that tore through the state’s wine country and resulted in more than 40 confirmed fatalities.
Urban and agricultural water districts have begun to take sides on whether they’ll fund the $17 billion Delta tunnels project, and it’s looking like economic concerns and not just environmental impacts could hamper it.
Jonathan Rosenfield Lead Scientist, Bay Institute
The Brown administration is denying scientific evidence when it comes to the impact that the proposed delta tunnels project would have on endangered species and fisheries, says scientist Jonathan Rosenfield of The Bay Institute.
After 20 years of work to restore habitat for steelhead trout on Alameda Creek in the Bay Area, efforts will get a significant boost with the biggest barrier to fish migration finally being tackled.
A century of levee building confined the state’s major rivers to narrow channels. A new policy aims to free them again, which could not only reduce flood risk but also recharge groundwater and improve wildlife habitat.
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.
The state proposes to amend hundreds of water rights to help endangered salmon in the San Joaquin River, as well as other species. But there’s lots of disagreement about how much water the fish need to thrive.
Many mobile home parks in the eastern Coachella Valley do not meet health and safety codes. In the latest ‘Toxic Taps’ video, we look at what’s being done to fix water and sanitation problems and improve living conditions.
A sprawl of mobile home parks house 10,000 people in Southern California’s Coachella Valley, but their drinking water is chronically contaminated. Now some solutions are in sight.
Meadows play an important role in water storage and flood prevention. But a new study shows that warming temperatures and resulting tree encroachment could doom these landscapes, except at very high elevations.
Steven Moore Vice Chair, State Water Resources Control Board
Water boards have improved their use of modern data management to change public habits on critical water issues and are hoping to do more in the future, writes Steven Moore, vice chair of the State Water Resources Control Board.
This year a court invalidated a regulation protecting Californians’ drinking water from contamination by chromium-6, a carcinogen. The latest ‘Toxic Taps’ video looks at why, what the public health implications are and what happens next.
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.
Although there’s been some uptick in consumption since mandatory water conservation measures were lifted in April, many parts of the state continue to conserve.
Peter Moyle U.C. Davis Professor Emeritus of Fish Biology and an Associate Director, Center for Watershed Sciences
James Hobbs Research Scientist, U.C. Davis Department of Wildlife, Fish and Conservation Biology
Scientists Peter Moyle and James Hobbs give their reasoning for qualified support for the controversial tunnels project that will affect Delta fish and fisheries.
In the fifth video in our “Toxic Taps” series, we talk with José Gurrola, the 23-year-old mayor of Arvin, California, about the town’s fight for clean water.
In the fourth video in our “Toxic Taps” series, we explain what happens now that California has finally regulated a carcinogen, 1,2,3-trichloropropane, that has been contaminating groundwater for decades.
Sediment-laden water has helped the Bay escape the worst effects of nutrient pollution so far, but that’s changing and it could hasten the growth of algae dangerous to the ecosystem and humans.
University of Utah scientists have conducted the first study to document landscape water use on a city-wide scale. Among other findings, trees are shown to be an excellent water-saving tool in grassy landscapes.
Matt O’Malley Executive Director and Attorney, San Diego Coastkeeper
As California considers legislation to make conservation a permanent strategy, it needs support from Southern California water agencies like the San Diego County Water Authority, writes Matt O’Malley of San Diego Coastkeeper.
New research by Robert Allen, a climatologist at the University of California, Riverside, suggests that climate change may actually result in more precipitation – and more floods and storms.
In the third video in our “Toxic Taps” series, we traveled to Sacramento, where San Joaquin Valley residents rallied to support Senate Bill 623, which would create a fund to clean toxic drinking water sources.
Agriculture and environmental justice advocates are supporting legislation to create a fund for clean drinking water projects. But disputes over key components of the bill could derail it.
Climate change is causing water managers to think long term about their resources. Several western agencies are planning a century in advance, but that’s not without its headaches.
Grant Davis of the Sonoma County Water Agency talks about being tapped to be the director of the California Department of Water Resources. He brings an environmentalist background to a job long dominated by engineers.
Ted Kowalski Senior Environment Program Officer, Walton Family Foundation
Innovative projects are key to improving the resilience of water supplies in the basin’s seven states, writes Ted Kowalski of the Walton Family Foundation’s Colorado River basin initiative.
The final version of the environmental impact report for California WaterFix still lacks clarity and adaptability, says Jay Lund, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at U.C. Davis.
Jennifer West Managing Director, WateReuse California
Bobbi Larson Executive Director, California Association of Sanitation Agencies
A state survey shows that California made modest gains in recycled water use during the drought, but that number is likely to grow, thanks to a number of factors, say water experts Jennifer West and Bobbi Larson.
The state plans to boost streamflows in the troubled San Joaquin River by amending hundreds of water rights. It hopes settlement deals will avoid a showdown, but will they produce enough water to help imperiled salmon?
The state’s proposal to build twin tunnels under the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta cleared another hurdle last month, but opponents still believe that better options exist.
Mary Ann Dickinson President and Chief Executive, Alliance for Water Efficiency
Water rates may be rising in some places, but new research shows that they don’t rise as much with conservation, says Mary Ann Dickinson of the Alliance for Water Efficiency.
Liz Crosson Deputy Chief Sustainability Officer, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti
As the state works to build a long-term framework for conservation and efficiency, Los Angeles is setting its own course, writes Liz Crosson, the deputy chief sustainability officer for Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti.
Kirsten James Oversees the California Policy Program, Ceres
A bill in the legislature would require information about proposed new groundwater wells in critically overdrafted basins to be made public, bringing badly needed transparency to groundwater management, writes Ceres’ Kirsten James.
June 30 is the state’s deadline for the creation of groundwater sustainability agencies, the first significant step required to implement California’s 2014 Sustainable Groundwater Management Act.
Farmers, regulators and an economist teamed up to launch a first-of-its kind groundwater market in California. Matthew Fienup, who was involved in the effort, explains how it works and the plans for its expansion.
State officials want a new conservation approach that imposes a “water budget” on millions of urban customers. Some local water agencies say it’s a regulatory excess that could cost them dearly.
At the 11th hour, the Public Policy Institute of California hopes to rekindle interest in building one water diversion tunnel in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta instead of two. But it might be too late to shift course.
California’s prolonged drought has been an opportunity for the state to address critical water issues, but there is still more than can be done. Water Deeply asked four water experts about what the state should tackle next.
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