Author Archives: jaylund

About jaylund

Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering Director, Center for Watershed Sciences University of California - Davis

Portfolio Solutions for Water – Flood Management

by Jay Lund *this is a repost of a blog originally published in March 2019. The tweet below, shows slight (but still frightening) levee overtopping this week on Cache Creek, just north of Woodland, California.  It also illustrates the combined … Continue reading

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Living with Extreme Floods in California

by Peter Moyle, Jay Lund, Andrew L. Rypel, Carson Jeffres and Nicholas Pinter Floods and their consequences are a reality for many worldwide, including those living in California. This reality is evidenced by pictures of people stranded on roofs surrounded … Continue reading

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Whiplash Again! – Learning from Wet (and Dry) Years

by Jay Lund, Deirdre Des Jardins, Kathy Schaefer “Old superlatives have been dusted off and new ones count to better describe the tragedy, damage, and trauma associated with the State’s latest ‘unusual’ weather experience.” DWR Bulletin 69-83, California High Water … Continue reading

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Tulare Basin and Lake – 2023 and their future

by Jay Lund “The fact that our rivers have been relatively quiet during the last 40 years probably doesn’t mean anything; it’s just a statistical coincidence …. The problem is more psychological. We have become complacent. When we don’t experience … Continue reading

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The Banality of Floods (and Droughts)

By Jay Lund California’s ongoing floods and very wet year overall will continue to grab headlines, provide great pictures, and break some local records, but overall this year is unlikely to be truly extreme from historical or broader water policy … Continue reading

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Explaining water units to real people (who like basketball)

by Jay Lund It’s March madness once again as we try to explain water conditions in California to real people in the midst of additional basketball madness. We all enjoy and suffer with basketball.  This commonality can make it a … Continue reading

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A Guide for New California Water Wonks

by Jay Lund Water is a universal foundation for every problem and opportunity in California.  Most people use it every day, yet even experts with decades of experience don’t know it all.   (Alas, too many advocates and pundits almost don’t … Continue reading

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Resistance is Futile – Agriculture is Key to Fixing Lower Colorado River Water Shortages

by Jay Lund and Josué Medellin-Azuara The lower Colorado River has been out of balance for about 40 years, using more water than has been available.  As their reservoirs empty, the three lower basin states, federal government, and water users … Continue reading

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The Collapse of Water Exports – Los Angeles, 1914

This is a re-post from 2019 with updated links for pictures and further readings. by Jay Lund Collapse of Los Angeles aqueduct pipeline through Antelope Valley from a major flood in February, 1914 (3-months after the aqueduct’s official opening) “In … Continue reading

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The 2020-2023 drought continues for a fourth year?

by Jay Lund After three years of drought and two dry months, plus two wet weeks, into California’s “wet” season for 2023, California has become unsettlingly settled into this long drought.  Most cities have decreased their water use, some more … Continue reading

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