Grantee Research Project Results
2016 Progress Report: Preparing for Water Scarcity: Learning from California’s Recent Drought
EPA Grant Number: R835867Title: Preparing for Water Scarcity: Learning from California’s Recent Drought
Investigators: Hanak, Ellen , Lund, Jay
Institution: University of California - Davis , Public Policy Institute of California
Current Institution: Public Policy Institute of California , University of California - Davis
EPA Project Officer: Packard, Benjamin H
Project Period: September 1, 2015 through August 31, 2018
Project Period Covered by this Report: September 1, 2015 through August 31,2016
Project Amount: $1,000,000
RFA: National Priorities: Systems-Based Strategies to Improve The Nation’s Ability to Plan And Respond to Water Scarcity and Drought Due to Climate Change (2014) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Water
Objective:
This project seeks to improve drought planning and emergency response in California specifically, and the arid West generally. Our research is leveraging, integrating, and extending a large body of drought-related research underway around the state, including by members of our research team, as well as the considerable investments already made on climate change modeling and analysis for this region. To craft lessons that can improve future responses, the project is involving practitioners from agencies and stakeholder groups in small, private workshops and simulation exercises.
Progress Summary:
Water rights, trading and quality: We took an extensive look at how water information is managed in California and the West, and produced a synthesis of our findings. We identified critical water-accounting gaps in California’s water management systems. On improving our understanding of water for the environment, we recommend defined environmental water budgets, the consolidation of information on water availability and ecological indicators, and better monitoring of flows in environmentally sensitive streams. This work supported several state efforts to improve information used in water management. For example, in September 2016, Governor Brown signed into law Assembly Bill 1755: The Open and Transparent Water Data Act, which directs the state’s water resource agencies to collaborate on a statewide integrated data platform. Our report offers guidelines for developing standardized reporting metrics and authoritative models that may help meet the goals outlined by this bill.
Aquatic ecosystems: Our analysis of policy changes used to improve drought management in Victoria, Australia, revealed steps that improved water management and helped reduce conflict over water used for environmental purposes. We have since been sharing our key recommendations with environmental water planners, including calling for improved drought planning, allocating a water right for the environment, and ensuring that environmental water as equal to other uses. Our work has contributed to an important conversation happening across California and the West in finding new solutions to how we manage water for fish and wildlife.
Future Activities:
In the coming year, we will conduct more focused analyses and begin to scope our activities for the third year of this project. Products will include multiple workshops and technical reports, as well as ongoing engagement. We have begun looking at options for addressing key challenges related to water scarcity for the San Joaquin Valley’s agriculture, residents, and ecosystems, while accounting for new opportunities for management under new groundwater laws and other regulatory changes. Our interdisciplinary team of researchers is drawing insights from different modeling tools, qualitative research, and legal analysis to assess a variety of adaptation strategies for the Valley. Another major research project under this grant is a review of qualitative and quantitative analyses of the drought response by public and private urban water agencies across the state. These efforts will result in two publications for spring 2017: Water Stress and Change in the San Joaquin Valley and Urban Drought Response in California. Research efforts on drought and environmental management and managing headwater forests to reduce wildfire risk and improve watershed health will result in publications in the next project period.
Journal Articles:
No journal articles submitted with this report: View all 61 publications for this projectSupplemental Keywords:
Climate scenarios, drought, extreme impacts, adaptation, CA, EPA Region 9, California, waterRelevant Websites:
PPIC Water Policy Center Exit
Drought: PPIC Water Policy Center Exit
Progress and Final Reports:
Original AbstractThe perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.