Publications

Global Water Governance in the 21st Century

Published: July 2013

Growing pressure on global water resources is having major impacts on our social, economic, and environmental well-being.

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Water Rates: Communication and Education – Issue Brief

Published: June 2013

All water service providers must periodically correspond with their customers as well as state and local decision makers. In times of emergency messages can help customers understand what to expect next and when disrupted service might be restored. But regular communication in non-emergency periods is also necessary.

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Gearing Up for Action: A Curriculum Guide for Freight Transport Justice

Published: June 2013

The Pacific Institute’s freight transport justice advocacy work sought to reduce the adverse health impacts of freight transportation on low-income neighborhoods of color closest to freight transport hubs, and to increase the share of the benefits that residents of these communities enjoy.

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Preparándose para la Acción

Published: June 2013

Preparándose para la Acción: Una Guía Curricular para Lograr Justicia en el Transporte de Carga del Pacific Institute ha sido revisada siendo una importante herramienta de abogacía para construir el poder y la capacidad de comunidades para participar en la toma de decisiones en cuanto a temas del transporte de carga.

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California Coastal Areas and Infrastructure Vulnerable to Flooding and Erosion

Published: June 2013

Downloadable PDF maps from our study that allow you to visualize the impacts of sea level rise on the California Coast.

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An Overview of the “New Normal” and Water Rate Basics

Published: June 2013

In the context of what is referred to as “the new normal”-- increasing costs to provide safe and reliable water supply amidst decreasing demand -- water service providers are facing new challenges in forecasting rates and preparing for future water demand.

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Dinámica del Agua Subterránea en el Tramo Limítrofe del Río Colorado

Published: May 2013

El Río Colorado, derivado y canalizado, así como intensivamente controlado, sólo en raras ocasiones (<10 por ciento de los días) lleva suficiente agua para fluir al menos 32 km más allá de la Presa Morelos, la última presa sobre el río, cerca de la frontera California/Arizona/Baja California.

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Groundwater Dynamics in the Colorado River Limitrophe

Published: May 2013

The Colorado River, diverted and channelized and intensively managed, only rarely has enough water to flow even 20 miles past Morelos Dam, the last dam on the river, near the California/Arizona/Baja California border.

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Testimony of Dr. Peter H. Gleick Before the California Assembly Select Committee on Sea Level Rise and the California Economy

Published: May 2013

This document provides the full testimony of Dr. Peter H. Gleick before the California Assembly Select Committee on Sea Level Rise and the California Economy.

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Water to Supply the Land: Irrigated Agriculture in the Colorado River Basin

Published: May 2013

Water is scarce in the Colorado River Basin, and the effects of climate change are straining the overspent water supply.

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Key Issues in Seawater Desalination in California: Energy and Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Published: May 2013

California’s water supply is vulnerable to seasonal extremes that are exacerbated by the effects of climate change. Seawater desalination is a reliable source of water, which can be especially valuable during a drought.

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Community Resilience Fact Sheets Help Communities Prepare for Climate Change Impacts

Published: April 2013

As Hurricanes Sandy and Katrina have taught us, climate change is a global process with very localized impacts that can profoundly affect community health and quality of life. These localized impacts, ranging from extreme temperatures to rising sea levels, will disproportionately affect vulnerable populations such as the elderly, renters, low-income residents, limited English speakers, those with pre-existing medical conditions, and those without health or home insurance.

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Climate Change Survivor Workbook with Games

Published: April 2013

Oakland residents can take steps to protect their communities in the face of climate change impacts.

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Sustainable Water Jobs: A National Assessment of Water-Related Green Job Opportunities

Published: February 2013

This comprehensive study finds that investments to increase efficient water use and reuse will both address growing problems associated with drought, flooding, and contamination, and simultaneously create jobs in a wide range of professions.

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Sustainable Water Management for Urban Agriculture: Planting Justice, Oakland

Published: January 2013

The food justice movement has deep roots in the San Francisco Bay Area, where the organization Planting Justice is utilizing urban agriculture to address economic and social justice issues.

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California’s Water Footprint

Published: December 2012

This report offers the first comprehensive assessment of California’s water footprint.

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Key Issues in Seawater Desalination in California: Costs and Financing

Published: November 2012

Seawater desalination is gaining traction as a potential solution to water supply challenges in California, but economics – specifically, the cost of the water produced and the complex financial arrangements needed to develop a project – will ultimately determine the success and extent of this technology.

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Sustainability Standards and Public Governance

Published: November 2012

An emerging theme of the framing project from its inception in 2009 was the growing awareness of the significance and complexity of the interactions between voluntary, non-governmental sustainability standards and national and international governance, raising fundamental questions about standards development, use, legitimacy and sustainability.

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From Storage to Retention: Expanding California’s Options for Meeting its Water Needs

Published: November 2012

California’s ability to grow its wealth of specialty crops depends on retaining and storing water from the state's wet season for use during the long, dry summer season.

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Guide to Water-Related Collective Action and Water Action Hub

Published: August 2012

Global water challenges must be addressed through collective action, where multiple stakeholders collaborate on shared water stewardship goals.

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Urban Water Demand in California to 2100: Incorporating Climate Change

Published: August 2012

Climate change will have significant impacts on California water supply and demand. Research shows that the state’s changing climate will lead to increased water use in cities and suburbs, while water supply is expected to diminish.

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Bringing a Human Rights Lens to Corporate Water Stewardship

Published: August 2012

Expectations that business will respect, and in some cases support or help fulfill, internationally recognized human rights have increased over the past decade.

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A Twenty-First Century U.S. Water Policy

Published: July 2012

This book provides the first independent assessment of water issues and water management in the United States in many decades, addressing emerging and persistent challenges from the perspectives of science, public policy, environmental justice, economics, and law.

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Cadiz Public Comments

Published: July 2012

This letter contains a summary of comments submitted by the Pacific Institute on the Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) of the Cadiz Valley Water Conservation, Recovery, and Storage Project on March 13th, 2012.

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Social Vulnerability to Climate Change in California

Published: July 2012

California faces a range of impacts from global climate change, including increased incidences of extreme heat, wildfires, coastal flooding, and erosion.

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Implications of Future Water Supply Sources for Energy Demands

Published: July 2012

The Water–Energy Simulator (WESim) is an easy-to-use analytical tool that can be used to evaluate the energy and greenhouse gas implications of water management decisions.

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Community-Based Climate Adaptation Planning: Case Study of Oakland, California

Published: July 2012

This analysis identifies more than 50 strategies for building community resilience and adapting to climate-change impacts such as extreme heat, flooding, wildfires, poor air quality, and rising food, water, and electricity prices.

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The Impacts of Sea Level Rise on the San Francisco Bay

Published: July 2012

Rising sea levels from global climate change pose a serious threat to the highly developed coastal communities of the San Francisco Bay. This report assesses the populations, critical infrastructure, and property at risk from projected sea-level rise, if no action is taken to protect the coast.

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Key Issues in Seawater Desalination in California: Proposed Seawater Desalination Facilities

Published: July 2012

In 2006, the Pacific Institute published “Desalination, With a Grain of Salt,” a comprehensive overview of the advantages and disadvantages of seawater desalination to help meet California’s water needs. In 2012, the Institute launched a series of research reports identifying the key outstanding issues for desalination in California: cost and financing; energy use and associated greenhouse gas emissions; and marine impacts.

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Opinion Editorial: Separating Frack From Fiction

Published: June 2012

Fracking – a process to improve the production of oil and gas wells – has generated tremendous controversy in recent years. There are daily and confusing media reports from outlets across the United States and other countries, including Canada, South Africa, Australia, France and England.

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Hydraulic Fracturing and Water Resources: Separating the Frack from the Fiction

Published: June 2012

Hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” has generated growing controversy. The lack of credible and comprehensive data around the possible risks of fracking is a major impediment to a clear assessment of its impacts.

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Water as a Casualty of Conflict: Threats to Business and Society in High-Risk Areas

Published: June 2012

While much research has been produced on how water use and pollution can exacerbate conflict, this report focuses more broadly on the ways conflict and high-risk situations can affect water systems and resources directly, as well as the planning, construction, operation, and management of water systems.

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Water Rates: Water Affordability – Issue Brief

Published: June 2012

Water rates in the United States are not typically understood as a human rights issue, but utility bills can be an exceptional burden for low income households.

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Water Rates: Water Demand Forecasting – Issue Brief

Published: June 2012

Historically, water demand forecasts have been determined by estimating current per-capita water consumption multiplied by expected future population.

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mWASH: Mobile Phone Applications for the Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Sector

Published: April 2012

Billions of the world’s poor still lack access to basic water and sanitation services, but mobile devices are common even in areas without these services.

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CE2 Model: Evaluating the Costs and Benefits of Urban Water Conservation and Efficiency Measures

Published: April 2012

The Pacific Institute has developed the Cost Effectiveness of Water Conservation and Efficiency (CE2) Model to help evaluate the economic desirability of water conservation and efficiency measures and explore how costs and benefits can be shared among customers, water utilities, and other entities. Designed primarily for water utility staff, the model quickly and easily calculates financial metrics that are meaningful and readily understood by planners and managers and provides a common platform through which to discuss the costs and benefits of water conservation and efficiency.

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Multiple-Use Water Services (MUS): Recommendations for a Robust and Sustainable Approach

Published: March 2012

Creating sustainable water systems will continue to be one of the biggest challenges of the 21st century. Multiple-Use Water Services (MUS) has emerged as a water-provision and management approach that addresses the poverty alleviation potential of water projects. MUS is rooted in the multiple ways in which people have interacted with their local water sources over time, and seeks to overcome the fragmented way in which water is currently managed. This report analyzes the gaps in the MUS approach and evaluates previous efforts at integration in the water sector to identify lessons learned and recommendations for making MUS implementation more robust and sustainable.

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The Water – Energy Nexus in the American West: The Energy Implications of Desalination

Published: January 2012

Despite some major barriers to desalination, interest has recently mushroomed as technology has improved, demands for water have grown, and prices have declined.

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Climate Change and Urbanisation: Building Resilience in the Urban Water Sector– A Case Study of Indore, India

Published: December 2011

Thousands of cities in the developing world face rising pressures on water resources due to population growth and urbanization, which are intensified by the effects of climate change. In developed countries cities, the government or formal sector often exclusively manage water supply services, while in developing countries informal water managers may predominate.

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California Farm Water Success Stories: Vegetated Waterways and Riparian Restoration

Published: December 2011

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California Farm Water Success Stories: Volumetric Pricing and Conjunctive Use

Published: December 2011

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California Farm Water Success Stories: State and Federal Funding Accelerates Efficiency

Published: December 2011

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Testimony of Peter Gleick: Recommendations to Congress for Fundamental Changes in National Water Policy

Published: December 2011

This testimony of Dr. Peter H. Gleick before the Subcommittee on Water and Power of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources for the Hearing on Opportunities and Challenges was given on December 8, 2011 to address domestic and global water supply issues.

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Water-use Efficiency and Productivity: Rethinking the Basin Approach

Published: December 2011

The Pacific Institute provides thoughtful new analysis to help move beyond the theoretical quagmire that has characterized the debate over water use efficiency for decades.

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At a Crossroads in Our Region’s Health: Freight Transport and the Future of Community Health in the San Francisco Bay Area

Published: December 2011

Priority Development Areas in the San Francisco Bay region overlap with communities with the highest health risk from toxic air contaminants, including diesel pollution from freight transport, designated as CARE zones by the Air District.

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Water for Energy: Future Water Needs for Electricity in the Intermountain West

Published: November 2011

The production of electricity, from fuel extraction to electricity generation, has growing impacts on both water availability and quality.

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The World’s Water, Volume 7

Published: October 2011

The World’s Water, Vol. 7 was released as the Pacific Institute headed into its 25th Anniversary year.

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Water Works: Rebuilding Infrastructure, Creating Jobs, Greening the Environment

Published: October 2011

Every year, 860 billion gallons of untreated sewage enter the United States’ waterways – enough to cover the entire state of Pennsylvania with waste one-inch deep.

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Speaking Truth on Coming Home: Research Findings and Recommendations on Re-entry in Richmond

Published: July 2011

Incarceration affects individuals, families, and the community in profound ways. The Safe Return Project is a participatory research and action initiative led by a group of formerly incarcerated Richmond, California residents carrying out research, community organizing, and policy advocacy to improve community reintegration after incarceration.

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Potential Water Savings Associated with Agricultural Water Efficiency Improvements: A Case Study of California

Published: July 2011

The Pacific Institute analyzes the potential for water savings from irrigation efficiency improvements in California, USA in a newly published peer-reviewed article in the journal Water Policy.

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