Urban Water Conservation and Efficiency Potential in California

Improving urban water-use efficiency is a key solution to California's short-term and longterm water challenges: from drought to unsustainable groundwater use to growing tensions over limited supplies. Reducing unnecessary water withdrawals leaves more water in reservoirs and aquifers for future use and has tangible benefits to fish and other wildlife in our rivers and estuaries. In addition, improving water-use efficiency and reducing waste can save energy, lower water and wastewater treatment costs, and eliminate the need for costly new infrastructure

Incentive-Based Instruments for Water Management

This report provides a synthesis review of a set of incentive-based instruments that have been employed to varying degrees around the world. It is part of an effort by The Rockefeller Foundation to improve understanding of both the potential of these instruments and their limitations. The report is divided into five sections. Section 1 provides an introduction to the synthesis review. Section 2 describes the research methodology. Section 3 provides background on policy instruments and detail on three incentive-based instruments -- water trading, payment for ecosystem services, and water quality trading -- describing the application of each, including their environmental, economic, and social performances, and the conditions needed for their implementation. Section 4 highlights the role of the private sector in implementing these instruments, and Section 5 provides a summary and conclusions

Policy Options for Water Management in the Verde Valley, Arizona (Executive Summary)

The water of the Verde Valley, both in the ground and flowing at the surface, is a natural resource that is critical to the regional economy, environmental sustainability, and quality of life -- but the Verde River faces unprecedented threats from over-allocation, development, and lack of cohesive water management. This report presents the results of three related initiatives designed to examine possible futures for the Verde and provides information for stakeholders and decision makers regarding the Verde Valley's water resources, its economic value, and possible tools for sustainable water management.Our analysis included modeling the effects of growth on river flows and on the regional economy. Population growth and development in the basin, if not mitigated, are likely to cause further decrease in the summer base flow in the Verde River. Decreases in the Verde River's flow have already been observed, and further reductions could have harmful side effects on the region's economy and could lead to federal intervention in local water management to maintain habitat for endangered species

Assessing Socio-Economic Vulnerability to Climate Change in California

Assessing the Local Impacts of Climate Chang

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The Impacts of Sea Level Rise on the San Francisco Bay

Over the past century, sea level has risen nearly eight inches along the California coast, and general circulation model scenarios suggest very substantial increases in sea level as a significant impact of climate change over the coming century. This study includes a detailed analysis of the current population, infrastructure, and property along the San Francisco Bay that are at risk from projected sea level rise if no actions are taken to protect the coast. The sea level rise scenario was developed by the State of California from medium to high greenhouse gas emissions scenarios from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change but does not reflect the worst‐case sea level rise that could occur. If development continues in the areas at risk, all of these estimates will rise. No matter what policies are implemented in the future, sea level rise will inevitably change the character of the San Francisco Bay. We estimate that a 1.0 meter (m) sea level rise will put 220,000 people at risk of a 100‐year flood event, given today’s population. With a 1.4 m increase in sea levels, the number of people at risk of a 100‐year flood event would rise to 270,000. Among those affected are large numbers of low‐ income people and communities of color, which are especially vulnerable. Critical infrastructure, such as roads, hospitals, schools, emergency facilities, wastewater treatment plants, power plants, and more will be at increased risk of inundation, as will vast areas of wetlands and other natural ecosystems. In addition, the cost of replacing property at risk of coastal flooding with a 1.0 m rise in sea levels is $49 billion (in year 2000 dollars). A rise of 1.4 m would increase the replacement cost to$62 billion (in year 2000 dollars). Continued development in vulnerable areas will put additional areas at risk and raise protection costs. A number of structural and non‐structural policies and actions, which are described qualitatively, could be implemented to reduce these risks

Data Preparation for

agencies”). It does not necessarily represent the views of the funding agencies, their respective officers, agents and employees, or the State of California. The funding agencies, the State of California, and their respective officers, employees, agents, contractors, and subcontractors make no warrant, express or implied, and assume no responsibility or liability for the results of any actions taken or other information developed based on this paper; nor does any party represent that the uses of this information will not infringe upon privately owned rights. This paper is being made available for informational purposes only and has not been approved or disapproved by the funding agencies, nor have the funding agencies passed upon the accuracy, currency, completeness, or adequacy of the information in this paper. Users of this paper agree by their use to hold blameless each of the funding agencies for any liability associated with its use in any form. This work shall not be used to assess actual coastal hazards, insurance requirements or property values, and specifically shall not be used in lieu of Flood Insurance Studies and Flood Insurance Rate Maps issued by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). FINAL PAPE

Social Vulnerability to Climate Change in California

The State of California faces a range of impacts from global climate change, including increases in extreme heat, wildfires, coastal flooding, and erosion. Changes are also likely to occur in air quality, water availability, and the spread of infectious diseases. To date, a great deal of research has been done to forecast the physical effects of climate change, while less attention has been given to the factors that make different populations more or less vulnerable to harm from such changes. While disaster events may not discriminate, impacts on human populations are shaped by intervening conditions that determine the human impact of the event and the specific needs for preparedness, response, and recovery. In this study, the authors analyzed the potential impacts of climate change by using recent downscaled climate model outputs to create a variety of statistics and visualizations that show their distribution across the state. To understand how the population exposed to these impacts will be affected, social vulnerability – defined as the susceptibility of a given population to harm from exposure to a hazard, directly affecting its ability to prepare for, respond to, and recover, must be evaluated. The researchers developed a new climate vulnerability index to indicate the social vulnerability of a region’s population to climate‐related harm. The index combines 19 indicators into one overall climate vulnerability score and includes factors specifically related to climate impacts, such as air conditioner ownership, childhood obesity, percentage of tree cover, pre‐term births, workers in outdoor occupations, and others. The authors present a series of maps showing where social vulnerability to climate change is greatest, and where it intersects with the most severe projected climate change impacts. The most significant risk from climate change occurs where there are large groups of people exposed to a climate‐related hazard and where there is high social vulnerability.   Understanding vulnerability factors and the populations that exhibit these factors are critical for crafting effective climate change policies and response strategies. They are also important to the emerging study of climate justice, which is the concept that no group of people should disproportionately bear the burden of climate impacts or the costs of mitigation and adaptation