Drought planning
Making Key Policy Decisions in Advance of Droughts
Part 6 in a Series on Improving California Water Rights Administration and Oversight for Future Droughts
Itās hard to respond effectively to a crisis when you donāt have clearly defined priorities.Ā This is true for sudden-onset crises, like floods and wildfires, and also for slow-onset crises, like droughts. My recent posts have explored why the State Water Resources Control Board (Board) should develop a contingency-based framework to support its drought decisions …
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CONTINUE READINGDeveloping a Decision-Support Framework for Curtailment
Part 5 in a Series on Improving California Water Rights Administration and Oversight for Future Droughts
During a drought, Californiaās limited water supplies should be allocated transparently, efficiently, and predictably in accordance with the priorities that flow from state and federal law.Ā But what does this mean in practice? What happens when there is not enough surface water to go around in a watershed?Ā California water rights law says that certain …
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CONTINUE READINGA Contingency-Based Framework to Support Drought Decision Making
Part 4 in a Series on Improving California Water Rights Administration and Oversight for Future Droughts
In my last post, I outlined actions the State Water Resources Control Board (Board) can take to improve its future drought response capabilities. Our core recommendation is for the Board to bring greater predictability, timeliness, and effectiveness to water rights administration and oversight during droughts by proactively developing a contingency-based framework to support its drought …
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CONTINUE READINGActions to Improve California Water Rights Administration and Oversight for Future Droughts
Part 3 in a Series on Improving California Water Rights Administration and Oversight for Future Droughts
In California, the next drought is always looming on the horizon.Ā While we donāt get advance warning of when a drought will occur, how long it will last, or how severe it will be, we do have advance knowledge that drought planning and preparation are important.Ā First, we know water management during droughts can have …
CONTINUE READINGWater Rights Administration and Oversight During Past California Droughts
Part 2 in a Series on Improving California Water Rights Administration and Oversight for Future Droughts
In the first post in this series, I talked about why itās important for the state of California to spend time preparing for future droughts even in wet years like this one.Ā This post examines some of the lessons from past droughts that can inform these preparations. Past droughts have stress-tested Californiaās water management institutions, …
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CONTINUE READINGWhy Itās Important to Prepare for Drought During a Deluge
Part 1 in a Series on Improving California Water Rights Administration and Oversight for Future Droughts
In the midst of the wet winter storms bringing rain and snow to California this year, you might not expect drought preparations to be among the stateās current priorities.Ā And yet, they need to be.Ā In this post, Iāll explore why to set the stage for a blog series that explores what the state can …
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