Get insights and analysis from Water in the West researchers as well as the latest news about new Stanford water research and events focusing on western water issues.
September 11, 2014 | Water in the West | Insights
Above image: from the Water in the West series, "Understanding California's Groundwater"
It’s a big year for groundwater in California. For the first time in California history, the state is close to setting up a comprehensive framework for managing groundwater. A package of groundwater bills has been passed by the legislature and now awaits the governor’s signature. If signed,...
August 28, 2014 | Water in the West | Insights
By Melissa Rohde
Melissa Rohde is a graduate student researcher with Stanford’s Water in the West Program, where she recently conducted research on groundwater recharge in California for our new website: Understanding California’s Groundwater. These are her reflections on the recently passed water bond.
The legislature is receiving plaudits for its approval of the $7.5 billion water bond...
August 18, 2014 | Water in the West | Insights
Lessons from Kansas: A More Sustainable Groundwater Management Approach
By Burke Griggs
Kansas’ Hydrological Problem and Basic Water Law
Over eighty percent of the water used in Kansas is for irrigation, and nearly ninety percent of that water is groundwater, drawn mostly from the Ogallala-High Plains Aquifer. Because most of the Ogallala in Kansas is effectively non-renewable, Kansas...
July 31, 2014 | Stanford News Service | News
New website, with interactive graphics, illustrates problems caused by California's over-tapped aquifers and offers potential solutions.
July 01, 2014 | Water in the West | Insights
Last fall, about thirty groundwater managers and land use planners from all over California came together at Stanford to talk about how to improve existing policies and practices between groundwater management and land use planning in the state. A recent Water in the West report highlights the key outcomes of the workshop, but one crucial takeaway that needs more focus than the report was...
April 10, 2014 | Water in the West, Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment | News
A new Water in the West report, “Before the Well Runs Dry: Improving the Linkage Between Groundwater and Land Use Planning,” identifies opportunities for managing groundwater and land use more coherently in California.
April 03, 2014 | Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment | News
Freshwater security in coastal regions such as the Monterey Bay of California depend critically on groundwater. 99% of the freshwater used for Monterey County is groundwater. Learn how Stanford Professor Rosemary Knight and her research team are mapping saltwater intrusion from Santa Cruz to Monterey to help inform proactive groundwater management.
March 11, 2014 | Water in the West | Insights
Figure 1. All fountains on the Stanford campus have been turned off to highlight the current California drought.
Despite recent rains, the drought continues with record low precipitation across most of California. Many communities are struggling with low water supplies, with some nearly running out. At Stanford, a diversified water supply portfolio, water efficiency investments...
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...
October 10, 2013 | Water in the West | Insights
In September 2013 the Orange County Superior Court in California handed down an unpublished decision (Capistrano Taxpayers Association v. City of San Juan Capistrano (2013)) that could have public water agencies throwing up their hands in frustration. While it remains to be seen whether the ruling will stand and just how far it may ultimately reach, its potential to further complicate the ability...
![[Woods Logo]](/sites/default/files/logos/footer-logo-woods.png){kind=logo}
![[Bill Lane Center Logo]](/sites/default/files/logos/footer-logo-billlane.png){kind=logo}