Blog

There are many perspectives on climate change and its potential impact on California’s water supplies. A recent article looks at whether California’s water right system is able to adjust to any shifting water supplies that result from changes in climate. In The effects of global climate change on the California water rights system, Stuart Somach and Jonathan Schutz explore how California water law will hold up under the predicted climate change scenarios.

As you drive through the Central Valley from now through September, no matter the time of day, you’ll likely have to swerve around trucks mounded impossibly high with tomatoes. This year promises to be a good year for processing tomatoes, with a projected 14.3 million tons harvested.

The Northern California Water Association (NCWA) and water resources managers in the Sacramento Valley are watching the groundwater resources very closely during this dry period with an eye toward preserving the sustainability of our precious groundwater resources. With four consecutive dry years and only two wet years this century, there is tremendous stress on the groundwater resources in the Sacramento Valley.

As we are starting to approach harvest season in the Sacramento Valley, the water resources managers continue to work overtime this summer to pursue thoughtful and creative ways to stretch every drop of available water. We have learned a lot this year as we head into the late summer. Most notably, this year has revealed the value of both surface and groundwater storage. With the lowest snowpack in our lifetime, the only water available for this year is already in storage in a reservoir or aquifer.