Research and Publications
Posted by: Aquafornia on September 13, 2008 at 11:48 amAll reports listed in alphabetical order. This page last updated January of 2013.
RESEARCH E-LIBRARIES:
- California Water Resources page at the Internet Archive
- USGS Publications Warehouse
- Water Resources Center Archives, U.C. Riverside
- Western Waters Digital Library
AGRICULTURE & WATER:
- Agricultural Production Statistics, from the California Department of Food and Agriculture.
- California Farm Water Success Stories, by the Pacific Institute, 2010
- California Farm Water Success Stories and Videos 2011, from the Pacific Institute, December 2011
- Economic Impact of San Joaquin County Agriculture Sector, by the Eberhardt School of Business, University of the Pacific, September 2008.
- Efficient Water Management: Irrigation District Acheivements, by the Agricultural Water Management Council, December 2008.
- More with Less: Agricultural Water Conservation and Efficiency in California, by the Pacific Institute, September 2008.
- Potential Water Savings Associated with Agricultural Water Efficiency Improvements: A Case Study of California, from the Pacific Institute, January 2012
- Sustaining California Agriculture in an Uncertain Future, by the Pacific Institute, July 2009.
- The Reasonable Use Doctrine & Agricultural Water Use Efficiency, report by Craig Wilson, the Delta Watermaster, January 2011
- The Water Fact Book: California Agriculture and its Use of Water, by the California Farm Water Coalition.
AGRICULTURAL DRAINAGE:
- Biogeochemical Cycling of Selenium in the San Joaquin Valley, Environmental Management, November 1987. (Note: plenty more technical reports on selenium from the USGS by clicking here.)
- Drainage Without a Drain: Towards a Permanent, Responsible Solution to the Agricultural Drainage Problem in the San Joaquin Valley, by the Bay Institute, January, 2003
- Forecasting Selenium Discharges to the San Francisco Bay-Delta Estuary: Ecological Effects of a Proposed San Luis Drain Extension, by the USGS, 2007.
- “Investing in Clean Agriculture: How California Can Strengthen Agriculture, Reduce Pollution, and Save Money”, by the Pacific Institute, January 2005.
- Technical Analysis of In-Valley Drainage Management Strategies for the Western San Joaquin Valley, by the USGS, 2008.
- The San Joaquin Valley West Side Perspective, Lawrence Berkeley National Library, 2006.
BAY DELTA CONSERVATION PLAN
- A Review of the Use of Science and Adaptive Management in California’s Draft Bay Delta Conservation Plan, by the National Academies of Science
- Benefit – Cost Analysis of Delta Water Conveyance Tunnels. by the University of the Pacific Eberhardt School of Business
- Draft Bay Delta Conservation Plan documents
BAY DELTA WATER QUALITY CONTROL PLAN (STATE WATER RESOURCES CONTROL BOARD)
COLORADO RIVER BASIN & THE SOUTHWEST
- Protecting the Lifeline of the West: How Climate and Energy Policies can Safeguard Water, from the Environmental Defense Fund and Western Resource Advocates, 2010.
- Response of Colorado River runoff to dust radiative forcing in snow, from the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, August 2010.
- Sedimentation and sustainability of western American reservoirs, published in Water Research Journal, December 2010.
- The Last Drop: Climate Change and the Southwest Water Crisis, from Stockholm Environment Institute, 2011.
- Thinking Like a River Basin, from Carpe Diem, 2011.
CONSERVATION AND USE:
- California’s next million acre-feet: Saving water, energy and money, from the Pacific Institute
- California’s Water Footprint, from the Pacific Institute, December of 2012
- More with Less: Agricultural Water Conservation and Efficiency in California, by the Pacific Institute, September, 2008
- Saving Water From Field to Fork: Curbing Losses and Wastage in the Food Chain, by the Stockholm Environment Institute and others, May 2008
- The Water Fact Book: California Agriculture and its Use of Water, by the California Farm Water Coalition.
- Waste Not, Want Not: The Potential for Urban Water Conservation in California (full report), by the Pacific Institute, November 2003
- Waste Not, Want Not: The Potential for Urban Water Conservation in California (summary), by the Pacific Institute, November 2003
- Water-Use Efficiency and Productivity: Rethinking the Basin Approach, article in Water International, Vol. 36, No. 7, November 2011
CLIMATE CHANGE:
- Adapting California’s Water Management to Climate Change, by the Public Policy Institute, November 2008.
- Climate Change and Water Security: Reconfiguring Groundwater Management to Reduce Drought Vulnerability, from the California Energy Commission, July 2012
- California Climate Change: Managing Risk and Uncertainty, a briefing by the Water Education Foundation, 2009
- California Climate Change: Planning for a Better Future, from the Public Policy Institute of California, February 2012
- Climate Change Adaptation Strategies for California’s Water, by the Department of Water Resources, October 2008.
- Climate Change and California Water Resources: A Survey and Summary of the Literature, by the Pacific Institute, July 2003.
- Climate Policy at a Local Level: A Survey of California’s Cities and Counties, by the Public Policy Institute, November 2008.
- Indicators of Climate Change in California, from the California Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, April 2009.
- Linking Climate Change Science to Water Management Decisions, a briefing by the Water Education Foundation, 2010
- Progress on Incorporating Climate Change into Management of California’s Water Resources, by the Department of Water Resources, July 2006
- Preparing California for a Changing Climate, by the Public Policy Institute of California, November 2008.
- SECURE Water Act Sec 9503(c) – Reclamation Climate Change and Water 2011, from the Bureau of Reclamation
- Social Vulnerability to Climate Change in California, from the Pacific Institute, July 2012
- The Effects of Climate Change on Agriculture, Land Resources, and Biodiversity in the United States, by the U. S. Climate Change Science Program and the Subcommittee on Global Change Research, May 2008.
- The Impacts of Sea Level Rise on the California Coast, from the Pacific Institute
- The Impacts of Sea-Level Rise on the San Francisco Bay, from the Pacific Institute, July 2012
- The State of Climate Change Science for Water Resource Operations, Planning and Management, from the DWR state climatologist, draft, January 2009.
- Urban water demand in California to 2100: Incorporating Climate Change, from the Pacific Institute, August of 2012
CLIMATE (METEOROLOGY)
- Atmospheric Rivers, Floods, and the Water Resources of California, from the Journal of Water
- A Faster Water Cycle, from Science Magazine
DELTA INFORMATION
DELTA PLAN (Delta Stewardship Council)
- Delta Plan (final draft), from the Delta Stewardship Council
- The State Water Resources Control Board’s Role in Implementing the Delta Plan, report by Craig Wilson, Delta Watermaster, March 2011
DELTA REPORTS:
- A Review of the Use of Science and Adaptive Management in California’s Draft Bay Delta Conservation Plan, by the National Academies of Science
- Aquatic Ecosystem Stressors in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, from the Public Policy Institute of California, June, 2012
- Bay-Delta Action Plan, from the EPA, August 2012
- California Water Solutions Now, by the Environmental Water Caucus, 2011.
- Comparing Futures for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, by the Public Policy Institute of California, July, 2008.
- Delta Risk Management Strategy, from Department of Water Resources
- Delta Subsidence: The Sinking Heart of the State, a report by the USGS, April 2000.
- Development of Flow Criteria for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Ecosystem (Final), August 2010.
- Economic Sustainability Plan, Delta Protection Commission, January 2012
- Envisioning Futures for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (full report), by the Public Policy Institute of California, February 2007.
- Envisioning Futures for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (short summary), by the Public Policy Institute of California, February 2007.
- Finding the Balance: A Vision for Water Supply and Environmental Reliability in California, by the Environmental Defense Fund, July 2008
- Fish Out of Water: How Water Management in the Bay-Delta Threatens the Future of California’s Salmon Industry, by the National Resources Defense Council, July 2008
- Fixing the Delta: How will we pay for it from the Public Policy Institute of California, 2009
- Flow Criteria for the Delta Ecosystem, from the Bay Institute
- Long-Term Changes in Nutrient Loading and Stoichiometry and Their Relationships with Changes in the Food Web and Dominant Pelagic Fish Species in the San Francisco Estuary, California, (report regarding ammonia discharges in the Delta) by Patricia M. Glibert
- Managing California’s Water: From Conflict to Reconciliation, from the Public Policy Institue of California, February 2011
- Managing California’s Water: From Conflict to Reconciliation, Executive Summary, from the Public Policy Institute of California, February 2011
- Risks and Options to Reduce Risks to Fishery and Water Supply Uses of the Sacramento / San Joaquin Delta, by the Department of Water Resources and the Department of Fish and Game, January 2008.
- Seasonal/Yearly Salinity Variations in the San Francisco Bay, (includes Delta) by the USGS, December 2007.
- Statements of Water Diversions and Use in the Delta: Providing a Better Picture of Water Use in the Delta, by the Delta Watermaster, November 2011
- Status and Trends of Delta-Suisun Services, by the Department of Water Resources, July 2007.
- Sustainable Water and Environmental Management in the California Bay-Delta, by the National Academies of Science
- Term 91: Stored Water Bypass Requirements, from the Delta Watermaster, December 2012
- The Economics of Ending Delta Water Exports Versus the Peripheral Canal, Checking the Data of the PPIC, by Dr. Jeffrey A. Michael, Eberhardt School of Business, University of the Pacific, October 2008.
- The State of Bay-Delta Science 2008 (Final report), by Cal-Fed, October 2008.
- Transitions for the Delta Economy, from the Public Policy Institute of California, January 2012
- Water Right Compliance in the Delta, by the Delta Watermaster, February 2012
- Where the Wild Things Aren’t: Making the Delta a Better Place for Native Species, from the Public Policy Institute of California, June of 2012
DESALINATION:
- Desalination: An Ocean of Problems, by the Food and Water Watch, February 2009.
- Desalination and Water Purification Technology Roadmap, by Sandia National Labs and the Bureau of Reclamation
- Desalination: Status and Federal Issues, from the Congressional Research Service, December 2009.
- Desalination: With a Grain of Salt – A California Perspective (full report), by the Pacific Institute, June 2006.
- Desalination: With a Grain of Salt – A California Perspective (summary), by the Pacific Institute, June 2006.
- Key Issues for Seawater Desalination in California: Cost and Financing, from the Pacific Institute, December 2012
- The Water-Energy Nexus in the American West, chapter: “The Energy Implications of Desalination, from the Pacific Institute, January 2012
DRINKING WATER
- Human Costs of Nitrate-contaminated Drinking Water in the San Joaquin Valley, from the Pacific Institute, 2011.
- The Water We Drink: What is California doing to ensure it’s water is safe, from the California Senate Office of Research, 2011.
DROUGHT
- California Drought: Hydrological and Regulatory Water Supply Issues, from the Congressional Research Service, December 2009
- Impacts of the California Drought from 2007 to 2009: Surprising Outcomes for California’s Agriculture, Energy, and Environment, from the Pacific Institute
FISH AND WATER:
- Fish Out of Water: How Water Management in the Bay-Delta Threatens the Future of California’s Salmon Industry, by the National Resources Defense Council, July 2008
- Gone with the Flow, from the Bay Institute, August 2010
- Risks and Options to Reduce Risks to Fishery and Water Supply Uses of the Sacramento / San Joaquin Delta, by the Department of Water Resources and the Department of Fish and Game, January 2008.
FLOOD CONTROL, URBAN RUNOFF & STORM WATER MANAGEMENT
- Capturing Urban Stormwater Runoff: A Decentralized Market-based Alternative, by U.C. Riverside researchers, November 2008.
- Central Valley Flood Protection Plan, June 2012
- Flood Control Fact Sheet from the Public Policy Institute
- From Rooftops to Rivers: Green Strategies for Controlling Storm Water and Combined Sewer Overflows, by the NRDC
- Mimicking Nature to Solve a Water-Pollution Problem, by the NRDC
- Rainwater as a Resource, by the Tree People, 2007
- Reducing Stormwater Costs through Low Impact Development (LID) Strategies and Practices, by the Environmental Protection Agency, December 2007.
- Storm Water Strategies: Community Responses to Runoff Pollution, by the National Resources Defense Council, 1999
FRACKING
- Hydraulic Fracturing and Water Resources: Separating the Frack from the Fiction, from the Pacific Institute, June 2012
GRAYWATER:
- Overview of Graywater Reuse: The Potential of Graywater Systems to Aid Sustainable Water Management, from the Pacific Institute
GROUNDWATER
- California’s Contaminated Groundwater: Is the State Minding the Store from the National Resources Defense Council, April 2001.
- Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment: Priority Basin Project, a statewide assessment of groundwater quality by the USGS
- Groundwater and Surface Water: A Single Resource, USGS 1999.
- Groundwater Assessment Study: A Status Report on the Use of Groundwater in the Service Area of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. by the Metropolitan Water District, September, 2007
- Groundwater Atlas of the United States, California & Nevada section, from the USGS, 1995
- Groundwater Availability in the United States, by the USGS, 2008.
- Groundwater Level Monitoring and the Importance of Long Term Groundwater Level Monitoring, USGS 2001.
- Land Subsidence and it’s relation to past and future water supplies in the Antelope Valley, from the USGS and the Poland Symposium, unknown date.
- Liquid Assets: Improving Management of the State’s Groundwater Resources, from the Legislative Analyst’s Office
- Sustainability from the Ground Up: Groundwater Management in California – a Framework, by the Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA), April 2011
- Unsaturated Zone Hydrology for Scientists and Engineers, textbook available online from USGS.
HISTORY
- Bureau of Reclamation’s Historical Website
- California Water Atlas: 1979, digitized and online at the David Rumsey Map Collection
- From the Sierra to the Sea: The Ecological History of the San Francsico Bay-Delta Watershed, from the Bay Institute
- Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Historical Ecology Investigation: Exploring Pattern and Process, from the California Department of Fish and Game and the San Francisco Estuary Institute-Aquatic Science Center
- Water Conveyance Systems in California: Historical Context Development and Evaluation Procedures, from the Department of Transportation (good water history document, trust me!)
INFRASTRUCTURE:
- Paying for Infrastructure: California’s Choices, from the Public Policy Institute of California, January 2009
LAKE TAHOE & THE SIERRA NEVADA MOUNTAINS
- Mining’s Toxic Legacy, by the Sierra Fund, March 2008.
LEGISLATION:
OCEANS & BEACHES
- A Brief Analysis of Organic Pollutants Sorbed to Pre and Post Production Plastic Particles from the Los Angeles and San Gabriel Watersheds, by the Algalita Marine Research Foundation.
- Cumulative Losses of Sand to the California Coast by Dam Impoundment, published in the Journal of Coastal Research, May 2008.
- Density of Plastic Particles Found in Zooplankton Trawls from the Coastal Waters of California to the North Pacific Central Gyre, by the Algalita Marine Research Foundation.
- Working Our Way Upstream: A Snapshot of Land-Based Contributions of Plastic and Other Trash to Coastal Waters and Beaches of Southern California, by the Algalita Marine Research Foundation, December 2005.
MANAGEMENT AND GOVERNANCE
- California Water Myths, by the Public Policy Institute of California, 2009
- Managing California’s Water: From Conflict to Reconciliation, Executive Summary, from the Public Policy Institute of California, 2009
- Clearer Structure, Cleaner Water: Improving Performance and Outcomes at State Water Boards, by the Little Hoover Commission, January 2009
- Managing California’s Water: From Conflict to Reconciliation, from the Public Policy Institute, 2011
- Managing for Change: Modernizing California’s Water Governance, by the Little Hoover Commission, August 2010
- Myths of California Water – Implications and Reality, from the Public Policy Institute of California, December 2009
MARKETS & TRANSFERS:
- An Overview of Water Scarcity and Water Market Development, Water Education Series by the UNR Cooperative Extension
- California’s Water Market, by the Numbers, by the Public Policy Institute of California, 2002
- California’s Water Market, by the Numbers – Update 2012, by the Public Policy Institute of California, 2012
- Go with the Flow: Why Water Markets Can Solve California’s Water Crisis, by the Pacific Research Institute, December 2008.
- Who Should Be Allowed to Sell Water in California Third-Party Issues and the Water Market (full report), by the Public Policy Institute, July, 2003
- Who Should Be Allowed to Sell Water in California Third-Party Issues and the Water Market (summary), by the Public Policy Institute, July, 2003
PLANNING AND INFRASTRUCTURE:
- California 2025: Planning for a Better Future, from the Public Policy Insitute of California, February 2012
- California 2030: An Efficient Future, by the Pacific Institute, September, 2005
- California Water: Planning for a Better Future, from the Public Policy Institute of California, February 2012
- California Water Plan 2009, by the Department of Water Resources
- Collaborative Approaches and Communications Skills for Addressing Water Disputes, Water Issues Education Series by UNR Cooperative Extension
- Funding Public Benefits of Water Investments, by the Legislative Analyst’s Office, March 2011.
- Implementing a Public Goods Charge for Water, by the California Public Utilities Commission, September 2010.
- Investment Strategy for California, by the Planning and Conservation League, November 2004
- Paying for Infrastructure: California’s Choices, from the Public Policy Institute of California, January 2009
- Terrorism and Security Issues Facing the Water Infrastructure Sector, by the Congressional Research Service, December 2010
- Water and the California Economy, from the Public Policy Institute of California, May 2012
- Water and the California Economy, Summary, from the Public Policy Institute of California, May 2012
- Water for Growth: California’s New Frontier (full report), by the Public Policy Institute of California, July 2005.
- Water for Growth: California’s New Frontier (summary), by the Public Policy Institute of California, July, 2005.
- Water 2025: Preventing Crises and Conflict in the West, by the Bureau of Reclamation
- Water Infrastructure Needs and Investment: Review and Analysis of Key Issues, by the Congressional Research Service, December 2010
- Water Needs for a Sustainable Future: Next Steps, by the Western Governor’s Association, June 2008.
- Water Supply and Growth in California: A Survey of City and County Land-Use Planners, by the Public Policy Institute of California, March, 2004
PRIVATIZATION
- The New Economy of Water: The Risks and Benefits of Globalization and the Privatization of Water (full report), by the Pacific Institute, January 2002
- The New Economy of Water: The Risks and Benefits of Globalization and the Privatization of Water (summary), by the Pacific Institute, January 2002
- Water Heist: How Corporations Are Cashing In On California’s Water, by the Public Citizen
RECYCLED WATER
- Salinity Management Guide: for landscape designers, park managers and anyone else using recycled water for landscape irrigation, from the Southern California Salinity Coalition (SCSC) and National Water Research Institute (NWRI).
- Water Recycling and Reuse: The Environmental Benefits, by the Environmental Protection Agency, 2008.
SALTON SEA
- Hazard: The Future of the Salton Sea with No Restoration Project (full report), by the Pacific Institute, May 2006.
- Hazard: The Future of the Salton Sea with No Restoration Project (summary), by the Pacific Institute, May 2006.
- Overview of Final Range of Alternatives, by Department of Water Resources, May 2006.
- Restoring the Salton Sea, a Legislative Analyst Office Report, January 2008
- Salton Sea Restoration: Final Preferred Project Report: Executive Summary, by the Salton Sea Authority, July 2004. (Note: not the final plan chosen by the State.)
SAN FRANCISCO BAY
- Design Guidelines for Tidal Restoration in the San Francisco Bay, from the Bay Institute, available at the San Francisco Bay Area Wetlands Regional Monitoring Program website
- From the Sierra to the Sea: The Ecological History of the San Francsico Bay-Delta Watershed, from the Bay Institute
- Seasonal/Yearly Salinity Variations in the San Francisco Bay, by the USGS, December 2007.
SAN JOAQUIN RIVER RESTORATION
- A Briefing on the San Joaquin River Restoration Program, from the Water Education Foundation, 2011
STATE WATER PROJECT
- Bulletin 132: Management of the State Water Project, from the Department of Water Resources.
- Final State Water Project Delivery Reliability Report for 2009 (summary), from the Department of Water Resources, September 2010.
- Final State Water Project Delivery Reliability Report for 2009 (full), from the Department of Water Resources, September 2010.
- Water Supply Contracts for the State Water Project contractors.
VIRTUAL WATER & WATER FOOTPRINTS:
- The Water Footprint of Food, from the Water Footprint Network, 2008.
- Saving Water Through Global Trade, by UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education, September 2005.
- Virtual Water Trade: Conscious Choices, an E-Conference Synthesis, by the World Water Council, March 2004.
- Water Footprints of Nations: Water use by people as a function of their consumption pattern, by Water Resources Management, October 2005.
- Water Neutral: Reducing and Offsetting the Impacts of Water Footprints, by UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education, March 2008.
WATER ALLOCATION:
- Water Allocation, Use and Regulation in California, from the California Water Plan 2005 Reference Section, Department of Water Resources, 2005
WATER AND ENERGY:
- Drops of Energy: Conserving Urban Water in California to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions, from Berkley Law & UCLA Law
- Energy Demands on Water Resources: Report to Congress on the Interdependency of Energy and Water (full report), by Sandia National Labs, December 2006
- Energy Down the Drain: The Hidden Costs of California’s Water Supply, from the National Resources Defense Council
- Energy’s Water Demand: Trends, Vulnerabilities, and Management, by the Congressional Research Service, December 2010
- Energy-Water Nexus: Amount of Energy Needed to Supply, Use, and Treat Water is Location-Specific and Can Be Reduced by Certain Technologies and Approaches, by the U.S. GAO, March 2011.
- Implications of Future Water Supply Sources for Energy Demands [WESim] , from the Pacific Institute July 2012
- Proposed Seawater Desalination Facilities in California, from the Pacific Institute, July 2012
- Water for Energy: Future Water Needs for Electricity in the Intermountain West, from the Pacific Institute, November 2011
WATER BANKING
- Analysis of Water Banks in the Western States, by the Washington State Department of Ecology, July 2004.
WATER RIGHTS
- Improving Water Right Enforcement Authority, by the Delta Watermaster, September 2012
- Reasonable Use Doctrine and Water Use Efficiency Report, by the Delta Watermaster, January 2011
- Water Right Compliance in the Delta, by the Delta Watermaster, February 2012
WATER STORAGE AND SUPPLY:
- From Storage to Retention: Expanding California’s Options for Meeting Its Water Needs, from the Pacific Institute, November 2012

















