The Press and Pulse of Climate Change: Extreme Events in the Colorado River Basin

American Water Resources Association (AWRA) | June 21st, 2022

Extremes in temperature and precipitation are associated with damaging floods, prolonged drought, destructive wildfires, agricultural challenges, compromised human health

Extremes in temperature and precipitation are associated with damaging floods, prolonged drought, destructive wildfires, agricultural challenges, compromised human health, vulnerable infrastructure, and threatened ecosystems and species. Often, the steady and progressive trends (or presses) of rising global temperature are the central focus in how climate impacts are described. However, observations of extreme weather events (or pulses) increasingly show that the intensity, duration and/or frequency of acute events are also changing, resulting in greater impacts on communities and the environment. Describing how the influence of extreme events may shape water management in the Colorado River Basin in clear terms is critical to sound future planning and efforts to manage risk. Three scenario planning workshops in 2019 and 2020 were held as part of a Colorado River Conversations series, identifying potential impacts from multiple intersecting extreme events. Water managers identified climate-related events of concern in the Colorado River Basin that necessitate greater attention and adaptive responses. To support efforts to include consideration of climate-change-driven extremes in water management and planning, we explore the current state of knowledge at the confluence of long-term climate shifts and extreme weather in the Colorado River Basin related to the events of concern that were identified by scenario planning participants.

The Stakes are Rising: Lessons on Engaging Coastal Communities on Climate Adaptation in Southern California

Cities and the Environment | November 16th, 2017

Preparing for climate change is rising as a priority for many public policy agendas, driving a demand for information that allows communities to identify both cur

Preparing for climate change is rising as a priority for many public policy agendas, driving a demand for information that allows communities to identify both current and projected vulnerabilities to climate change at local and regional levels. In response, a developing climate change adaptation service sector is bringing science and technical training to policy-makers. Approaching adaptation planning through a regional lens is critical, due to the large number of stakeholders and the intensely interconnected nature of geographies, communities, and economies. Decisions made in one jurisdiction will undoubtedly affect its neighbors. In this emerging field, boundary organizations play a unique role in building capacity across jurisdictions and bridging the gaps among various community, science and government stakeholders. The University of Southern California (USC) Sea Grant Program, located in Los Angeles, has developed a robust stakeholder engagement process to help communities plan for the impacts of climate change along the urbanized coastline. In 2016, USC Sea Grant analyzed its climate change adaptation outreach program to gain insights about its effectiveness. Drawing from this analysis, this paper explores: 1) stakeholder processes; 2) communications methods, particularly the challenges of communicating scientific information; 3) barriers to planning and implementation; 4) how to identify community needs; and, 5) what kinds of investments have been made to meet those needs. Four primary lessons are identified: 1) place-based boundary organizations can be an effective broker in establishing trust among stakeholders; 2) the ever-evolving and complex nature of climate science can overwhelm stakeholders and stall progress, so it is important to emphasize key messages provided by the scientific information, rather than dive deep into technical details and methods; 3) adaptive management is a promising approach to help communities move forward; and, 4) lack of significant and sustained funding for adaptation will continue to limit progress, however, even modest investments made at the right time can be impactful. Finally, the paper discusses the challenges USC Sea Grant faced in the first six years of its climate adaptation outreach program, and provides thoughts on how to help communities continue to advance their adaptation planning goals in the years to come.

The Sustainable Groundwater Management Act Governance Conference: Research and Practice Synthesis Report 2018

University of California, Davis (UC Davis) | June 8th, 2018

“The Sustainable Groundwater Management Act Governance Conference: Research and Practice,” held at the UC Davis in February 2018, assembled 55 social science research

“The Sustainable Groundwater Management Act Governance Conference: Research and Practice,” held at the UC Davis in February 2018, assembled 55 social science researchers as well as practitioners from across the state to discuss the ongoing implementation of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA). The California Legislature passed SGMA in 2014. SGMA required the formation of new groundwater sustainability agencies (GSAs) by June 2017 in order to develop and implement Groundwater Sustainability Plans (GSPs) for 127 medium- and high-priority groundwater basins by 2020 and 2022. With such a large task at hand, and given the importance of groundwater to California’s public health, environment, and economy, strengthening collaboration across research teams as well as between researchers and practitioners is crucial to increasing the capacity for learning about governance processes and to bridging the science-policy divide in order to support the creation of effective governance institutions. The goals of this report are to synthesize key lessons learned about SGMA at the nexus of research and practice, and to create a roadmap and research agenda going forward. Sharing information and knowledge among research teams enables a comparative perspective that cannot be achieved by one team alone. Furthermore, perspectives from practitioners inform research directions, focus attention on relevant issues and knowledge gaps, and build relationships among the SGMA community for more collaborative applied research. Conference discussions focused on discovering what has been learned in the first three years of SGMA implementation and GSA development, identifying high priority questions for the next stage of GSP development, sharing research methods, and coordinating research activities.

Tribal Communication Plan

California Department of Water Resources (DWR) | June 1st, 2008

Tribal Water Summit Proceedings: California Indigenous Rights, Uses, and Management of Land and Water (2013)

California Department of Water Resources (DWR) | March 26th, 2014

Two hundred representatives from California Native American Tribes, Federal and State agencies, and Native American organizations participated in the 2013 California Trib

Two hundred representatives from California Native American Tribes, Federal and State agencies, and Native American organizations participated in the 2013 California Tribal Water Summit. This event continued key concepts discussed at the 2009 Tribal Water Summit: »» Tribal Ecological Knowledge (TEK) – emphasizing greater respect for, and understanding of, Tribal knowledge and its value in resource management; »» Indigenous Rights to Water – focusing on the broader context and relationships between Tribes and water; and »»Watershed Management and Land Use – looking at the integration of TEK and indigenous water rights with local, regional and statewide watershed efforts and projects which affect Tribal communities, trust lands and homelands. Three plenary speakers were featured during the Summit. On the first day, Heather Whiteman Runs Him, Staff Attorney for the Native American Rights Fund, discussed Tribal water rights principles and approaches. On the second day, Felicia Marcus, Board Chair for the State Water Board, reflected on the importance of establishing and maintaining relationships between agencies and Tribes. Also on the second day, Cynthia Gomez, Tribal Advisor to the Governor, provided an overview on the work of the Tribal Advisor’s Office. On Day 1, opening remarks were offered by John Laird, Secretary for the California Natural Resources Agency, and Dale Hoffman-Floerke, Chief Deputy Director for the California Department of Water Resources (DWR).   Mr. Laird highlighted the efforts within the Resources Agency to better balance historic rights with multiple needs and interests. He shared the experiences from the MLPA Initiative, and described the adoption of the Tribal consultation policy and creation of the Tribal liaison positions. Ms. Hoffman-Floerke called attention to the TWS Guiding Principles and Statement of Goals for Implementation, which are supported by the Resources Agency and DWR. She described the 2013 TWS as succession planning, which supports the continuity of awareness, understanding and relationships from the 2009 TWS.

Tulare Lake Fact Sheet

California State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) | October 12th, 2023

Urban Water Conservation in the Sacramento, California Region During the 2014-2016 Drought

ProQuest Dissertations Publishing | December 30th, 2019

Using Watershed Science to Build Consensus and Maximize Benefits of L.A. County’s Safe Clean Water Program

Accelerate Resilience LA (ARLA) | January 31st, 2022

To meet its diverse goals, SCWP scoring criteria, processes, and guidelines were initially developed to incentivize projects that simultaneously address water, environmen

To meet its diverse goals, SCWP scoring criteria, processes, and guidelines were initially developed to incentivize projects that simultaneously address water, environmental, MS4 compliance, and social issues. However, the first two SCWP funding cycles of Stormwater Investment Plans (SIP) featured extensive committee debate and public comments concerning the balance of these goals. This public debate illuminated the need for an assessment of the extent to which SCWP guidance, criteria, structure, and processes are successfully driving meaningful progress toward the fourteen SCWP Goals.

Ventura County: Environmental Stakeholder Representation in Groundwater Sustainability Agencies

Nature Conservancy | January 1st, 2016

The Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) requires the preparation of groundwater sustainability plans (GSPs) for nine groundwater basins in Ventura Cou

The Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) requires the preparation of groundwater sustainability plans (GSPs) for nine groundwater basins in Ventura County. The groundwater sustainability agencies (GSAs) that will prepare these plans consist of government agency and stakeholder representatives. Notably, in Ventura County, each basin is including specific representation of environmental interests in the GSP development process. The Fox Canyon Groundwater Management Agency (Fox Canyon) has included an environmental representative on its advisory committee and the other GSAs have included an environmental representative on their governing boards. The purpose of this organizational structure is to ensure that the groundwater needs of environmental uses are represented in the planning process.

Water and Culture (Resource Management Strategy)

California Department of Water Resources (DWR) | July 29th, 2016

This resource management strategy report presents the emerging thinking of many California Water Plan Advisory Committee members and other stakeholders regarding the impo

This resource management strategy report presents the emerging thinking of many California Water Plan Advisory Committee members and other stakeholders regarding the importance of linking cultural considerations to water management. In many respects, this resource management strategy report represents more of an annotated outline than a fully developed strategy. Even so, the water plan stakeholders asked that this resource management strategy report be included, if only to improve awareness of the need for the strategy and to continue dialogue on what it should include. Water and culture are connected in myriad ways, with subtle and complex implications for water management in California. Some cultural relationships to water are so pervasive, they may be easy to overlook. Other cultural considerations are less apparent and may be difficult to recognize. Increasing the awareness of how cultural values, uses, and practices are affected by water management, as well as how they affect water management, will help inform policies and decisions. Even regulations reflect cultural values, particularly by how they are put into practice when water is viewed as a commodity, and all the more by the sum total of laws, regulations, and policies intended to control water. Water resources have shaped the history of California, contributing to the current social, cultural, and economic patterns across the state. The presence of freshwater sources has influenced the location of settlements and communities for hundreds, even thousands, of years. Water resources have also been pivotal to key economic activities, such as fishing, mining, agriculture, manufacturing, tourism, and recreation. These historic aspects of development continue to have ramifications for water managers today. Water and water-dependent resources also shape individual and collective experiences that contribute to individual and community well-being, sense of identity, and connection with the natural world. These experiences are inextricably linked to values, traditions, and lifestyles, which in turn inform perspectives and expectations regarding water resources and conditions. Cultural considerations by their nature are inherently linked to every resource management strategy. More importantly, the consideration of culture in water management decisions is, in many cases, legally mandated by State and federal laws. Utilizing cultural considerations in the framing, development, and promotion of management decisions is vital to ensuring legal compliance and sustainable practices.