July 28, 2015 Drought and Fire are Connected

Drought and fire are definitely connected. The Lowell (Nevada County) and Wragg (Napa County) fires are a reminder of the wide consequences that a water limited year can bring to an area. It is so important to prepare mitigations and responses to water supply limits and fire. Thank you to all the firefighters, support personnel and the American Red Cross and other humanitarian groups for being our front line to California fires.

Let’s prepare, rain or shine, for drought and fire mitigation. It takes proactive actions to save lives, save money and minimize disruption of the everyday life in California. No action is just not worth it.

August 4, 2015 Planning is key

Dr. Lori Johnson, urban planner and disaster preparedness consultant, considers business planning to be just as important as conserving water during a drought. During long-term droughts, local businesses (large and small) may opt to move their operations to where water is abundant. That would be devastating. Planning is key.

August 11, 2015 Managing water: Bureau of Reclamation

Ron Milligan, Bureau of Reclamation, has the difficult task of managing the distribution of water throughout the state in a fair and equitable manner. I spoke to Ron during the last drought (2009) and learned of the multiple use approach to getting the most bang for the buck for every gallon of water.

August 18, 2015 Balancing our water demand

Ultimately, water that is available and water that has been promised needs to come into balance. Bill Jennings, California Sportfishing  Protection Alliance, shares his perspective on solving California’s water challenges:

We live in a world of limits;

Most people are good and

We all need to tighten our belts.

August 25, 2015 Water Influences on Social/Economic Conditions

Lack of water can create a domino effect of changes in social and economic conditions. Mayor Silva in Mendota, California has seen, first hand, the impacts to his citizens. Limited work equates to minimal income available for buying food for farm worker families. The food bank and other resources make life bearable through this summer in Western Fresno County but it is not the chosen life circumstance of the farm workers or farmer. They are used to sixteen hour days of farm work and find satisfaction seeing the fruits of their labor manifest into sustenance for communities across the country.

They feel their work is important and recognize that working together will help all of us adapt to a healthy future. It starts now.  

August 31, 2015 Rainwater Harvesting

Effective rainwater harvesting can be successful in California if we learn to reduce our outdoor water needs in rural and urban residential settings. The greatest drawback is the length of the dry season in California. Adapting to more focused irrigation methods, choosing outdoor vegetation that use less water and supplementing outdoor watering with water reuse can produce a victory for all Californians. The added benefit is on-demand water that can be used to fight fire. Incorporating rainwater harvesting can be a game changer that erases today’s domestic drought casualties. 

September 8, 2015 Building Capacity

It takes a committed effort to build capacity within a public that thrives in changing water conditions. Growing a commitment by the public requires an investment that makes the impossible possible. Time and consistency for growing resiliency is key. Choose a program that facilitates cooperative and adaptive efforts for managing collective and personal water supplies. Elected representatives will benefit by a supportive and engaged public. We all will.

September 15, 2015 Us water users have a responsibility too!

The water user is a main stress on groundwater aquifers or any water resource so the water user is a fundamental player in both mitigations and responses that will return the resource to its sustainable level. It doesn’t matter if the drought goes another year or longer. Drought will always be visiting the western U.S. and we need to do things different. Let’s get together. We can do this.

September 22, 2015 Using less water doesn't mean being uncomfortable!

Drought monitoring started in 1999 and is reported on a weekly basis for the entire U.S. This data is an “eyes and ears on the ground” monitoring program that is illustrated through maps made available to the public and scientists for studying drought across the country. Drought slowly creeps up on us. We need to respond to drought as soon as possible. Delayed responses to drought usually generate more pain for a community. Mark’s Drought Monitor program is an effective tool for managing drought.

Steve emphasizes everyone to learn to use less water. We in the U.S. can save a lot of water and still be very comfortable. Rainwater harvesting is a main tool that can help us supplement our groundwater supplies. Australia was very successful in applying rainwater harvesting to specific regions of the country.

The most intensive water use room in the house is the bathroom so install low flow toilets, taps and shower heads (27% of domestic water use). Repair any leaks occurring on your property (1.5% of domestic water use) and reduce your outdoor irrigation (usually half a property’s water use, at least). Lastly, pay attention to your farmers. Our food is the largest part of our water footprint. Pay attention to the issues that farmers are experiencing when producing the essential fruits and vegetables that you eat. California provides an enormous percentage of food to our country and parts of the world. Support their efforts to provide the necessary water in a manner that safeguards the water resources of the region. Responsible growing, responsible stewardship to the natural resource.

September 29, 2015 Dynamic Groundwater Management programs

Adapting water demand to water availability is the keystone behavior that dials in groundwater sustainability. If you change one parameter (water use, time of use, location of use), everything else changes to reach a new equilibrium. It’s dynamic! That’s why we need a dynamic groundwater management program. Working together makes this easy. Let’s talk.

October 2, 2015 Ground truth and let the data drive!

Making groundwater decisions cannot be made blindly. Water quality and water levels are important information that is needed to guide water users in making good groundwater decisions. Ground truth our groundwater conditions and let the data drive our management responses. It’s more than possible. It’s fundamental. Let’s do it now.

October 9, 2015 Enhanced groundwater recharge and monitoring

Enhanced groundwater recharge accompanied with groundwater storage monitoring is more than half the solution. It is simple. It is fundamental!  Give your aquifer a big gulp. Ahhhhh, that’s satisfying! Now, it’s time to balance the equation!

October 13, 2015 Groundwater well maintenance is good practice

The American Groundwater Trust came to Stockton, California to educate groundwater users in the Central Valley on protecting the integrity of their wells through effective maintenance of old and new wells. Important stuff considering the cost of a new well can easily exceed a million dollars.
 
Longevity of a healthy well starts with its design criteria and construction.  Once it is built, the well must be developed. Well development is an often under achieved step in maximizing a well’s ability to pump clean, clear and abundant groundwater at the least cost. Equally valuable is the commitment to complete a time-based maintenance approach instead of a “let’s wait until our well barely pumps an adequate discharge rate”.
 
The mantra that I repeatedly heard was, “Complete maintenance on your well at a frequency that removes incrustation, biofilm and siltation before it has time to harden.” The return on investment will be easily demonstrated in your pocket book when you see your electricity bill reduced and your pump living all nine of its lives.

October 16, 2015 A systemic based public water engagement program

The groundwater utilizing public will only sustain its water management adaptation skills by continuous public facilitation focused on water conservation, rainwater harvesting, aquifer recharge, aquifer reporting and sharing public management successes every year. The bonus years will be the water abundant years. Droughts will be easily managed. Get ready and go, rain or shine. It makes all the difference in the world.

October 20, 2016 Community Values and a Common Goal

The water utilizing public will work together most effectively when there is a simple common goal that is approached through common community values. We will always have water working together. Say that three times and then call Operation Unite®. 

October 23, 2015 Monitoring Groundwater is Important

What is it worth to have a warning method that tells you that the stock market is about to drop?  I thought so. It’s worth a lot to me too.
 
It is also worth knowing if your groundwater supply is going dry before it happens.  Manage your water supply by starting a Know Your Water® program membership and a Neighborhood Water Alliance program in your community. Managing your groundwater supply can make a bad situation just go away. Pick up the phone.

October 27, 2015 U.S. Geological Survey and the GAMA program

The U.S. Geological Survey is really on it in California. The Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) program will provide many benefits to State, local, and community participants and to individual well owners. This program focuses on assessing groundwater resources used for shallow and deep aquifers used for public supply by water purveyors and domestic well owners. Opportunities like the U.S. Geological Survey program work because people are willing to work with each other. There we go again; “We will always have water working together.”, another example of good things happening in our communities.

October 30, 2015 Sharing can seed resourcefulness

A water using public that has opportunity to apply its resourcefulness to solving real water problems regards the opportunity as a contagious adventure that brings social currency and visibility.  This enhances the desire for even more resourcefulness. It’s just plain fun. Let’s share. Everyone wins.

November 3, 2015 Empathize and Recognize

Make your public the “Success Story” of the day. Make it worth it for the public to make good water choices; empathize, recognize and spread the success to everyone. Seize the moment. All good efforts deserve a pat on the back.

November 10, 2015 Work Together, Really

There will always be potential arguments when managing water during limited times. This is because there are many relationships with water and sometimes they are in opposition with one another. It takes an effort by everyone to exercise the value system that our communities are built on when resolving our water predicaments. Our success in solving water availability issues, including water shortage, is guaranteed if we remember this one principal; “We will always have water working together.” It’s more than a sound good cliché. It really works.