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Insights into Proposition 1: The 2014 California Water Bond

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of Proposition 1, the Water Quality, Supply and Infrastructure Improvement Act of 2014, which was approved by California voters in November 2014.

New Directions for U.S. Water Policy: Welcome

Huffington Post: When Our Responses to Drought Make Things Worse

In a new study just published by the journal Sustainability Science (Springer), analysis from the Pacific Institute shows that many of the fundamental responses of California water...

National Geographic ScienceBlogs: An Open Memo on Ebola and Water

As input to the ongoing discussions about how to meet and overcome the spreading risks of Ebola, here are some summary thoughts about the water-related components of U.S. efforts.

The Corporate Water Disclosure Guidelines – A common and meaningful way for companies to track and communicate their water performance, risks, and impacts

This week, the CEO Water Mandate launched its finalized Corporate Water Disclosure Guidelines – a common approach for companies to effectively and intelligibly disclose the many elements of their corporate water management practice to key stakeholders.

National Geographic ScienceBlogs: The Death of the Aral Sea

In the 20th century, society was either ignorant of, or ignored, the consequences of bad water management. The goal was economic development at all costs.

Corporate Water Disclosure Guidelines: Towards a Common Approach to Report Water Issues

The UN Global Compact’s CEO Water Mandate initiative has released the finalized Corporate Water Disclosure Guidelines – a common approach for companies to effectively and intelligibly disclose the many elements of their corporate water management practice to key stakeholders. The Guidelines are available as a PDF report and web-based tool.

Testimony: Desalination Impacts before the Assembly Select Committee on Coastal Protection

On September 25, 2014, Pacific Institute Water Program Director Heather Cooley testified before the Assembly Select Committee on Coastal Protection. Heather spoke separately on desalination intakes and broader policy issues of desalination facilities.

Huffington Post: Our Disappearing Snows: Climate Change and Water Resources

As the Earth has warmed over the past 30 years, the global water cycle has begun to change. In particular, our snows have begun to disappear. The implications for the water systems we've built and operate are vast and pervasive.

Pacific Institute’s Heather Cooley Gives Pros and Cons of Desalinization

Metering in California – Need to Know Fact sheet

This fact sheet examines the effectiveness of water metering as a tool to reduce excessive or wasteful water use by both utility companies and customers.

Water Footprint Outcomes and Policy Relevance Change with Scale Considered: Evidence from California

The “water footprint” -- the amount of freshwater used both directly and indirectly throughout the production chain of a good or service -- has emerged as a valuable tool to evaluate the impact of human activity on the world’s water resources.

Hazard’s Toll: The Costs of Inaction at the Salton Sea

California’s Salton Sea threatens to impose massive public health and environmental costs if no action is taken to alter its decline.

Exploring the Business Case for Corporate Action on Sanitation

As society seeks to meet demands for goods and services for a growing population, it is important to improve understanding of the fundamental science of the hydrological cycle, its links with related global processes, and the role it plays in ecological and societal well-being.

Response to Washington Post Article “Water Utilities Charge More to Offset Low-Flow Toilets, Faucets and Shower Heads”

A recent Washington Post article erroneously stated: “Federally mandated low-flow toilets, shower heads and faucets are taking a financial toll on the nation’s water...

What about Desalination during the Drought?

When discussing the current drought in California, there is often talk of desalination and its potential to increase our freshwater supply. Desalination, the process of removing salt and minerals...

Planning For Rain: Why Storm Water Management Matters during the Drought

It’s been weeks, even months, since some parts of California have gotten rain, and it’s likely it will be a few more months before rains return.

The Multiple Benefits of Water Conservation and Efficiency for California

California farmers have made great progress in updating and modernizing irrigation technologies and practices.

The Multiple Benefits of Water Conservation and Efficiency for California Agriculture – Need to Know

California farmers have made progress in updating and modernizing irrigation practices, but great untapped potential remains to use water more efficiently.

GreenBiz Blog: The Three Questions You Need To Ask about Assessing Water Risk

Do your company's risk assessment processes consider water risk for every major capital decision, as well as operational management and supply chain partner screening?

National Geographic ScienceBlogs: Why Has the Response to the California Drought Been so Weak?

In the past few weeks, I have had been asked the same question by reporters, friends, strangers, and even a colleague who posts regularly on this very ScienceBlogs site (the prolific and thoughtful Greg Laden): why, if the California drought is so bad, has the response been so tepid?

Over Twenty-Five Years Later, How Does the Drought in California Compare?

In the midst of the California drought and the hot summer months ahead, more data and public information are needed about what to expect and what are our options for action.

Can We Reasonably Expect the Private Sector to Advance Sustainable Water Management? Should We?

Over the past several years, the CEO Water Mandate has articulated to businesses why and how they can advance sustainable water management by making their own operations more efficient and by contributing to watershed efforts to promote sustainability.

The Past, Present and Future of the World’s Water

A Tale of Two Farms: How Water Efficiency Could Help Drought-Proof California Farms

For many California farmers, this growing season has been the “worst of times”. While all of the state is in the midst of a severe drought, conditions are most acute in the state’s most productive agricultural region.