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Independent, objective, nonpartisan research
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PPIC Water Policy Center

The PPIC Water Policy Center spurs innovative water management solutions that support a healthy economy, environment, and society—now and for future generations.

photo - Olive Ranch in Bakersfield, California
Policy Brief · February 2023

Policy Brief: The Future of Agriculture in the San Joaquin Valley

photo - Chrisman Pumping Plant
Fact Sheet · December 2022

Water and Energy in California

photo - Plowed Fields and Rainbow
Report · November 2022

Priorities for California’s Water

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Blog Posts

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photo - Manzanita Bush Trunk and Leaves
March 8, 2023

Helping the San Joaquin Valley Find New Uses for Fallowed Farmland

Sarah Bardeen

photo - California Aqueduct with Stormy Sky
February 28, 2023

Testimony: Adapting California’s Water Rights System to the 21st-Century Climate

Ellen Hanak, Brian Gray, Jeffrey Mount

photo - Alvar Escriva-Bou Speaking at the PPIC Water Conference
February 24, 2023

New Horizons for Senior Fellow Alvar Escriva-Bou

Sarah Bardeen

photo - Dry and Empty Field in the Central Valley, California-pixel-ca-dwr-KG_central_valley_drought_31352
February 14, 2023

Commentary: Lack of Water Is Forcing Major Changes in Valley Agriculture, New Analysis Says

Alvar Escriva-Bou, Ellen Hanak, Josué Medellín-Azuara

Fact Sheets

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photo - Chrisman Pumping Plant
December 2022

Water and Energy in California

Alvar Escriva-Bou, Gokce Sencan, Andrew Ayres

photo - Sherman Island in the Sacramento Delta
May 2022

The Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta

Jeffrey Mount, Ellen Hanak, Greg Gartrell

photo - Irrigation Canal and Agricultural Land
August 2021

California’s Water Market

Ellen Hanak, Gokce Sencan, Andrew Ayres

photo - Recharge Pond
August 2021

Groundwater Recharge in California

Alvar Escriva-Bou, Gokce Sencan, Ellen Hanak

Events

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Surplus and Shortage: California’s Water Balancing Act

November 18, 2022

Featured Blog Post · February 6, 2023

Can Nine Atmospheric Rivers Recharge California’s Groundwater?

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Key Areas

Fact Cards

Who uses water in California?
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240+ The number of endangered or vulnerable California freshwater species.
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Most California water systems that fail to meet safety standards are in rural, low-income communities of color.
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California added more than 10 million people since 1990, yet urban water use changed little.
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The past 20 years have been the warmest in California history, making droughts more intense.
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Two-thirds of dams in California are more than 50 years old.
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1 in 5 Californians are vulnerable to flooding.
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