Water partnerships in CA are effective and at risk

By Letitia Grenier and Jeff Mount, especially for CalMatters

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In one year from profound changes at the federal leveluncertainty is the name of the game in the United States. Nowhere is this more true than in California’s aquatic world.

For many decades, the state forged a symbiotic relationship with federal agencies to manage its notoriously complex — and aging — water system. The state is working with an alphabet soup of federal agencies to manage some of the worst floods and droughts the state has ever seen.

Research and technical expertise are at the heart of all water-related activity in California, whether you’re a farmer irrigating your crops, a utility providing clean drinking water to your customers, or a municipality trying to protect your community from flooding.

Fortunately, the state is blessed with top-notch water experts coming from state and federal agencies, universities, consulting firms, and non-governmental organizations. They are responsible for many of the tools the state uses to manage water. Every California water action relies on decades of applied research and experienced people to implement it.

Changes at the federal level questioned this close state-federal partnership.

The dust has yet to settle on the layoffs — including the impact of the recent shutdown — but the effects are already being felt, just as storm season begins in California. These cuts are already having an impact on flood forecasting and emergency response.

The California-Nevada River Forecast Center is decrease in frequency from its flood forecasts. and downsizing of emergency services and at the National Weather Service’s regional offices means fewer people will respond to extreme weather events, putting Californians at risk.

The loss of institutional expertise is more difficult to quantify, although it is vital to managing droughts and floods, protecting human health and restoring ecosystems.

The state must keep water running for the well-being of California’s residents, economy and ecosystems. Equally important is yes be prepared for droughts, floods, fires and other natural hazards.

Fortunately, in recent years, Californians have come together to find pragmatic solutions to water problems.

Voters showed they were all for water, with most of the bond measures funding important work. Partnerships that were once thought impossible — between agriculture and environmentalists, or cities and farms — become the gold standard in this state.

Research helps us use scarce water wisely.

In a recent reportwe at the Public Policy Institute of California make recommendations about where research money should go. We need to better monitor our water, find new ways to fund big projects, and develop new tools for the new problems we face.

“California farms, communities and ecosystems would benefit more accurate and timely systems to track how rain and snowmelt move through soils, vegetation, groundwater, rivers and wetlands,” the study said.

“Equally important are improved tools to monitor and measure water use – in agriculture, cities and the environment – so that managers can respond quickly and effectively to changing conditions. Without these systems, water planning, management and emergency services are hampered.”

California’s water challenges aren’t going away. The state will need to step up to fund and maintain the technical expertise needed to manage our water systems.

Now is the time to double down on research. The governor, legislature, and researchers can work collectively to set priorities, allocate funds, and collaborate with other western states.

We’ve done hard things before; we can do it again.

This article was originally published on CalMatters and is republished under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivatives license.