- Author: Joanna Solins
Front yard with water-wise landscaping. Photo Credit: Cadenasso Lab, UC Davis
California's urban water agencies have long relied on conservation measures to promote reliability and manage costs. Since landscapes are a large portion of water demand in California cities, many water agencies encourage water conservation by incentivizing the replacement of water-intensive turf lawns with water-efficient or “water-wise” landscaping.
In California's Mediterranean climate, traditional turfgrass lawns require irrigation to maintain their appearance through the hot summer months. Inefficient, poorly managed spray irrigation systems can also result in considerable water loss from runoff...
- Author: Erik Christian Porse
For decades, California has supported research to improve water resources management. Within our archives at the California Institute for Water Resources (CIWR), we have records of nearly 250 funded research projects going back fifty years. This led us to ask, how have water research topics in California changed over time?
First, let's step back in history. In 1957, with State Water Project construction looming, the California State Legislature funded the first University of California Water Resources Center at UCLA to provide training and research for water planning. Soon after, in 1964, the federal Water...
- Author: Arthur R. Wardle
- Author: Ellen Bruno
Demand management – policies that alter the incentives of water users in ways that encourage conservation – will be necessary to achieve groundwater sustainability under California's Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA).
A key feature of the state's approach to SGMA is that local Groundwater Sustainability Agencies are each allowed to develop their own plans for achieving sustainable groundwater use, allowing for local flexibility and...
- Author: Garrison Schlauch
- Author: Ellen Bruno
- Author: Kristin Dobbin
Among the most significant challenges related to California's Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) are emergent social and economic questions regarding implementation. Despite passing almost ten years ago, there's still a long road to achieving groundwater sustainability. We are at a critical moment now that sustainability plans have been submitted – with some deemed inadequate – and implementation is just beginning.
On June 6th, 2023, roughly 60...
- Author: Mike Hsu
As water system managers across California devise strategies to help secure their water supply, they often face a major obstacle to implementing those measures: a lack of interest or will to act among community members.
“One of the things that the literature has found is that even if water system managers and local decisionmakers are really worried about climate change and water security, a lot of the adaptation strategies that they have in their toolbox actually require support from residents,” said Kristin Dobbin, a UC Cooperative Extension specialist focused on water justice planning and policy.
Because popular support is essential for...
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