Ann Hayden: Waterfront

Water has finally reached the highest levels of global climate negotiations. The path to a sustainable freshwater future, however, lies with ground-level users. At COP 28, EDF is elevating their voices, their needs and the approaches they find most useful. _______ While greenhouse gases drive climate change, many of its impacts are inherently liquid. Whether […]

The post Water is a high-level priority at COP 28, we need to look to ground-level users for solutions first appeared on On the Water Front.

A “Finding Common Water” rafting excursion developed by EDF and UC Merced was designed to get participants with a stake in California water off our desk chairs and onto rafts, out of the ordinary and into an extraordinary setting — a hot, highly regulated, wild and scenic river —  to push everyone out of their comfort zone and get to work on addressing real water problems.

The post Taking a big leap to solve California water problems: How uncommon partners are finding common ground on the water first appeared on On the Water Front.

These are the three key things that successful applications had in common.

The post California’s new Multibenefit Land Repurposing Program is already oversubscribed. Here are 3 features of successful applications. first appeared on On the Water Front.

Record-setting high temperatures in the 90s — in April. The driest first three months of the year in California history. Another drought executive order from the governor calling for more water conservation and requiring protection of existing groundwater wells. These are all signs that the drought is continuing to rear its ugly head in our […]

The post Drought in California is intensifying. It’s time to rise to the challenge. first appeared on On the Water Front.

This month Gov. Gavin Newsom took another important step in supporting the San Joaquin Valley and sustainable groundwater management by proposing $40 million in additional funds for the new Multibenefit Land Repurposing Program, which he and the Legislature created last year with $50 million in initial funding. This voluntary program aims to help farmers reduce […]

The post Gov. Newsom proposed nearly doubling funds for a new farmland repurposing program. Here are 4 ways it can help people and wildlife. first appeared on On the Water Front.

For the third time this year, a committee of experts from the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) met publicly to discuss sustainable water and environmental management in the California Bay-Delta with a particular focus on the Bay-Delta Conservation Plan. It did not take the NAS experts long to reach the same conclusion EDF and others […]

Yesterday, the Bay Delta Conservation Plan Steering Committee discussed the status of draft chapters to be released early next week in an effort to transition to the next administration. At the meeting, the consultant presented its proposed revisions to certain chapters in an attempt to respond to comments provided by Steering Committee members. It was […]

Last Tuesday marked the second formal gathering of the prestigious National Academy of Sciences Committee on Sustainable Water and Environmental Management in the California Bay-Delta. The meeting (the first of three days of meetings) focused on an overview of the Bay-Delta Conservation Plan and “other stressors” impacting the ecosystem including pesticides and nutrients. The panel, […]

As we all know, California’s salmon runs and the fishing industry that depends on them have been hit hard the past few years. A number of factors have contributed to the significant decline of this iconic fish and as a result we are facing the third straight year of a limited, and at times, closed […]

Given that the State Water Resources Control Board’s flow proceeding finished yesterday, it is worth highlighting yet another reason why this work is so necessary and timely. As a reminder, the SWRCB is charged with determining the volume and timing of flows in the Bay-Delta necessary to support a healthy ecosystem, including protecting imperiled fisheries. This […]

Cynthia Koehler is Senior Attorney and California Water Legislative Director for EDF. Ann Hayden is a Senior Water Resource Analyst at EDF. If nothing else, Tuesday’s joint oversight hearing before the Assembly Water Parks and Wildlife and the Senate Resources and Water Committees made clear that while the Delta package was enacted last year, the […]

Ann Hayden is a Senior Water Resource Analyst at EDF. We know that the Feds have been paying close attention to the crisis in the Bay Delta over the past few months—from Interior Secretary Ken Salazar’s tours of the Central Valley, to Central Valley Congressman Devin Nunes’ failed attempts to weaken the Endangered Species Act. […]

Ann Hayden is a Senior Water Resource Analyst at EDF. This recent independent review of the USFWS Biological Opinion (BO) for Delta smelt is worth a read. The study seems largely to have been released under the radar, and we only just became aware of it. In general, the panel concluded that the science underpinning […]

 Ann Hayden is a Senior Water Resource Analyst at EDF. As our recent blog highlights , there are many reasons to be pleased about the recent passage of the water policy reform package[1].  As a member of the Bay-Delta Conservation Plan Steering Committee, I think it’s also worth enumerating how the legislation provides significant environmental […]

Ann Hayden is a Senior Water Resource Analyst at EDF. After another week of attempts  to weaken the Endangered Species Act, EDF couldn’t be happier to see Lester Snow, Director of the State’s Department of Water Resources, put his support of the ESA in writing. See his letter to Senator Feinstein, Secretaries Salazar and Locke  here […]