Category Archives: Climate Change

Can Sacramento Valley reservoirs adapt to flooding with a warmer climate?

Posted on June 25, 2023 by UC Davis Center for Watershed Sciences

  by Jay Lund and Ann Willis Editor’s note: This is a blog that was originally posted on 6/25/17. Since publication of the blog, there has been interesting newer research about running the San Joaquin rim dams for “functional flows” … Continue reading →

Posted in California Water, Climate Change, Floodplains | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Making water for the environment count in an era of change: Cautionary tales from Australia

Posted on December 17, 2017 by UC Davis Center for Watershed Sciences

by Alison Whipple The specter of California drought looming again on the horizon gives renewed urgency for water policy and management reforms. Recent discussions reflect a growing recognition that our future depends on us making water count for both humans … Continue reading →

Posted in Around the World, Climate Change, Planning and Management, Sustainability | Tagged | 1 Comment

Floodplains in California’s Future

Posted on September 10, 2017 by UC Davis Center for Watershed Sciences

by Peter Moyle, Jeff Opperman, Amber Manfree, Eric Larson, and Joan Florshiem The flooding in Houston is a reminder of the great damages that floods can cause when the defenses of an urban area are overwhelmed.  It is hard to … Continue reading →

Posted in Around the World, Climate Change, flood, Floodplains, reconciliation | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Trump Killed Obama’s Flood Protection Rule Two Weeks Ago

Posted on August 30, 2017 by UC Davis Center for Watershed Sciences

by Nicholas Pinter This post was originally published as an op-ed in Fortune. Whether or not you like President Donald Trump, the current administration has not been gifted with great timing. Just 10 days before Hurricane Harvey made landfall, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Around the World, Climate Change, flood, Floodplains, Planning and Management | Tagged , , , | 9 Comments

Reflections on Cadillac Desert

Posted on July 9, 2017 by UC Davis Center for Watershed Sciences

by Jay Lund In 1986, when Mark Reisner published his book Cadillac Desert, I had just begun professing on water management. The book went “viral,” before the word viral had its present-day internet-intoxicated meaning.  The book offered a compelling revisionist … Continue reading →

Posted in California Water, Climate Change, education, Planning and Management, Stressors, Sustainability, Water Supply and Wastewater | Tagged | 16 Comments

Summer Snowmelt Safety – Know the Flow Before You Go

Posted on June 11, 2017 by UC Davis Center for Watershed Sciences

By Megan Nguyen As recently as this weekend, winter storms have brought much snow to the Sierra Nevada after five years of drought. Warm temperatures have begun to melt the mountain snow that will flow down the valley through a … Continue reading →

Posted in California Water, Climate Change, education | Tagged | 1 Comment

The Future of California’s Unique Salmon and Trout: Good News, Bad News

Posted on May 16, 2017 by UC Davis Center for Watershed Sciences

by Robert Lusardi, Peter Moyle, Patrick Samuel, and Jacob Katz California is a hot spot for endemic species, those found nowhere else in the world.  Among these species are 20 kinds of salmon and trout. That is an astonishing number … Continue reading →

Posted in Biology, California Water, Climate Change, Conservation, Fish, reconciliation, Salmon, Stressors, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 9 Comments

Rising to El Niño’s challenges – and opportunities

Posted on November 29, 2015 by UC Davis Center for Watershed Sciences

By Nicholas Pinter The much-anticipated El Niño has now arrived, with increased potential for heavy rain and snowfall, including the possibility of localized flooding, mudslides and other hazards. While extreme storms, flooding and other natural disasters challenge society to protect … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate Change, El Niño, Planning and Management, Uncategorized | Tagged | 3 Comments

Can solid flood planning improve all California water planning?

Posted on March 27, 2012 by

Jay R. Lund, The Ray B. Krone Chair of Environmental Engineering, University of California – Davis “No single raindrop believes it is to blame for the flood.”  E.L. Kersten The best time to prepare for floods is during a drought. … Continue reading →

Posted in California Water, Climate Change, Floodplains, Planning and Management, Water Conservation, Water System Modeling | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Adaptive management and experimental island flooding in the Delta

Posted on August 24, 2011 by

Robyn J. Suddeth, Hydrology Graduate Student, UC Davis Center for Watershed Sciences   Like many of the world’s deltas, the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta is in transition. A deteriorating native ecosystem, conflicting water quality objectives, and a fragile levee system are … Continue reading →

Posted in California Water, Climate Change, Floodplains, Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment