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Trump Signs Spending Bill That Could Send Millions of Dollars to the Salton Sea

Building Resilience and Addressing Inequities in Small, Underperforming Drinking Water Systems

Approximately 25 million people in the United States are served by water systems that regularly fail to meet federal safe drinking water standards. In addition, systems with poor water quality are more likely to serve low‐income and semi‐rural communities, as well as people of color. Internationally, other developed nations like Canada and Australia also struggle with delivering safe drinking water universally, particularly to rural, indigenous communities.

Is Food Irrigated with Oilfield-Produced Water in the California Central Valley Safe to Eat? A Probabilistic Human Health Risk Assessment Evaluating Trace Metals Exposure

In California, drought and a reduction in natural water availability in recent decades have led to a search for alternative water sources for agriculture. One controversial potential source is produced water a byproduct of oil extraction.

New Study Examines How Wastewater from Oilfields Used to Irrigate Crops May Affect Human Health 

A recent article by researchers at Duke University, RTI International, California State University-Bakersfield, and the Pacific Institute evaluates how trace metals from inorganic compounds in produced water used to irrigate California crops may affect human health. “Is Food Irrigated with Oilfield-Produced Water in the California Central Valley Safe to Eat?

December 2020 Newsletter

The monthly newsletter features the Pacific Institute’s research, publications, news about past and upcoming Institute staff outreach efforts, and media coverage of its work and analysis.

Nature-Based Solutions & Water Resilience

This session featured a discussion around Nature-Based Solutions and the launch of the Portuguese version of the publication “Benefit Accounting of Nature-Based Solutions for Watersheds Landscape Assessment.”

Op-Ed: Water Scarcity Will Increase Risk of Conflict, Says New National Intelligence Report

On December 20, 2019, President Trump signed into law the National Defense Authorization Act (Public Law 116-92), including the Intelligence Authorization Act of FY2020. Section 6722 of that law required a report be prepared on the national security effects of “global water insecurity” and be submitted within 180 days (by late June 2020) to “the congressional intelligence committees, the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives, and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate.”

Will Water Unite Us?

November 2020 Newsletter

The monthly newsletter features the Pacific Institute’s research, publications, news about past and upcoming Institute staff outreach efforts, and media coverage of its work and analysis.

Water Recommendations for the Next Administration

In this webinar, Pacific Institute President Emeritus Dr. Peter Gleick and Director of Research Heather Cooley joined President Jason Morrison to discuss the Pacific Institute’s water recommendations for the incoming Biden administration.

Proposed Legislation Would Bring Major Federal Investment to the Salton Sea

November 19, 2020, Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Raul Ruiz, M.D. (CA-36) introduced H.R. 8775, the Salton Sea Public Health and Environmental Protection Act with Rep. Juan Vargas (CA-51). The legislation would bring significant federal funding to the Salton Sea while streamlining projects; increasing coordination between local, state, and federal officials; and holding federal agencies accountable to their commitments at the Salton Sea.

Bide(n) Time for America’s Water Resources With Peter Gleick

Comment Letter on Recommended Updates to Los Angeles’ Safe, Clean Water Program

Investing in water management can provide multiple benefits to communities and the environment. During 2019 and 2020, the Pacific Institute engaged with stakeholders in Los Angeles, California to increase consideration of co-benefits as part of their innovative, regional stormwater funding, called the Safe, Clean Water Program.

California Is Making Progress on Safe Water for All, but Work Remains

October 2020 Newsletter

The monthly newsletter features the Pacific Institute’s research, publications, news about past and upcoming Institute staff outreach efforts, and media coverage of its work and analysis.

Key Take-Aways from the Webinar on Setting Site Water Targets to Drive Action in India and South Africa

The CEO Water Mandate and the Pacific Institute held a webinar on August 18, 2020, titled “Lessons from India and South Africa: Setting Site Water Targets to Drive Action.”

Solutions for Underperforming Drinking Water Systems in California

October 29, 2020, Oakland, California – The Pacific Institute just announced the release of a report that identifies solutions for water systems in California that are failing to provide safe drinking water for their residents. The report also includes lessons learned from these underperforming water systems that can be applied to the rest of the nation.

Solutions for Underperforming Drinking Water Systems in California

California passed the Human Right to Water in 2012, acknowledging that every resident has a right to safe, clean, and affordable drinking water. Both large and small water systems struggle to provide safe drinking water; however, small systems face the greatest challenges.

Water Recommendations for the Next Administration

America is at a crossroads. We can continue to overlook the nation’s water problems, even as scarcity, pollution, and climate changes increase risk, or we can take steps to make our water systems more effective, resilient, and equitable.

Smart Water Supply and Sanitation Investments Can Meet Both Humanitarian and Climate Goals

October 22, Oakland, California – Smart investments in water supply and sanitation can benefit both the climate and those living in poverty, finds a new report from the Pacific Institute and Water.org. 

Financing Water Supply and Sanitation in a Changing Climate

Human-caused climate change is real and accelerating, creating new challenges for all aspects of freshwater management, including meeting basic human needs for water and sanitation. Important gaps in our understanding of these challenges include both the complications climate change poses for planning, implementing, and sustaining water supply and sanitation systems, especially for the poor; and the links between these systems and the emissions of greenhouse gases that worsen the overall climate problem.

Rebuilding Through Collective Action on Water and Hygiene: Practical Guidance from WASH Experts and Business Leaders

During this virtual session leading businesses and WASH experts shared how companies can take action on WASH to contain the pandemic within their operations, supply chains and surrounding communities.

Water Futures Meet Cool Reception

Untapped Potential: Water Innovation to Advance the SDGs

In this session, we participated in a dialogue among key UN players driving the SDG 6 Global Acceleration Framework and C-suite executives who have pledged support for the Water Resilience Coalition to explore how innovations in supply chain management, technology, and governance practices can advance the 2030 Agenda.

Capturing Water While Supporting Ecosystems: Report Provides a Pathway for Water-Conscious Communities to Keep Their Rivers Flowing

October 12, 2020, Oakland, California -- As forward-thinking cities become increasingly adept at capturing and reusing wastewater, stormwater, and greywater, essential river systems may be at risk. A report released last month suggests deliberate, community-driven planning is urgently needed to avoid depriving adjacent waterways of necessary water.