Buzz Thompson on the California Drought

February 25, 2014 | Water in the West | Insights

Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment co-director Barton “Buzz” Thompson has been thinking a lot about the drought in California lately.  In a recent San Francisco Chronicle Op-Ed, Professor Thompson argues that drought is a fact of California life.  While Californians may never enjoy complete water security, planning can ease impacts and reduce risks. “Less glamorous” and “more cost-effective options” for reducing drought risks are available, including greater use of recycled water, increased storage in groundwater aquifers, and fewer barriers to water markets.

In a second piece for The Sacramento Bee co-authored with Jay Lund and Ellen Hanak, Professor Thompson addresses the potential pressure that state and federal regulators will be facing to loosen environmental standards that protect native fish under the current drought.  They advocate for a special drought environmental water market, so that those who gain from relaxed standards help compensate the losers by providing funds to help native species recover.

Professor Thompson will be part of a panel to address the California drought on Stanford Campus on Tuesday, February 25, 2014, 7pm.  

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