California’s changing hydrology has led to extreme weather patterns that affect the amount of rain and snow the state gets, impacting how we can capture and distribute water.
Following three years of severe drought, California recently experienced a winter of extreme wet weather.
Being able to endure the next severe drought is dependent upon making smart, preemptive water management decisions during non-drought years.
In support of Action 26.3 in California’s Water Resilience Portfolio, the California Water Commission is developing proposed strategies to protect communities and fish and wildlife in the event of drought, and is seeking public input at three virtual public workshops.
Workshop dates are:
• Wednesday, July 19, noon to 3 p.m. Register here.
• Tuesday, July 25, 2 to 5 p.m. Register here.
• Thursday, July 27, 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Register here.
At the workshops, participants will be asked to share drought impacts, discuss drought response, and provide feedback on four preliminary strategies:
• Increase capacity and information needed to manage drought;
• Scale up groundwater recharge;
• Conduct watershed-level planning to reduce ecosystem impacts of drought;
• Better position communities to respond to drought emergencies.
“Small, rural communities and the environment are often hit the hardest during a drought,” said Commissioner Sandi Matsumoto, who also serves as director of the California Water Program at The Nature Conservancy. “In many places, water for fish and wildlife species is already severely limited in non-drought years. During periods of drought, water for the environment is even more drastically constrained.”
In addition to attending a workshop, the commission encourages you to share your opinion in a drought strategies survey here.
The survey will be open through July 12, 2023. For more information on the Commission’s work on drought, please visit: cwc.ca.gov/Water-Resilience-Portfolio.
The nine-member California Water Commission uses its public forum to explore water management issues from multiple perspectives and to formulate recommendations to advise the director of the California Department of Water Resources, and as appropriate, the California Natural Resources Agency, the governor and Legislature on ways to improve water planning and management in response to California’s changing hydrology.
For more information regarding the California Water Commission visit cwc.ca.gov.
Water Commission to host virtual public workshops in July to discuss adapting to weather extremes
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