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Five years into a drought, California is facing essential decisions about its water future. It’s implementing new groundwater law, weighing the pros and cons of a large infrastructure project for water supply and beefing up its data collection. But there’s more to do. Water Deeply asked four experts who work in different arenas of California water issues what they think should be California’s biggest policy priority to address in the next year. Here’s what they had to say.

If none of this were true this would sure make a great piece of fiction – except that it is true. It’s not fiction. A recent Modesto Bee editorial illustrates a level of absurdity among California’s agencies that may actually be malfeasance. The photo says it all, though I encourage you to read the entire editorial, particularly if following California’s water woes hasn’t been your thing. I understand if it hasn’t – the politics of it all is enough to cause brain hemorrhaging. Reading this was educational.

As a multiyear drought grinds on in the Southwestern United States, many wonder about the impact of global climate change on more frequent and longer dry spells. As humans emit more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, how will water supply for people, farms, and forests be affected? A new study from the University of California, Irvine and the University of Washington shows that water conserved by plants under high CO2 conditions compensates for much of the effect of warmer temperatures, retaining more water on land than predicted in commonly used drought assessments.

 

The Latest on legislation approved by the governor (all times local): 6:30 p.m. Water districts would have to create policies to punish residents who use too much water during droughts under a bill signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown. Brown signed the bill requiring all districts to have policies for identifying and targeting heavy users during drought emergencies. That can include fines or a rate system that charges more for using large amounts of water. Democratic Sen. Jerry Hill of San Mateo says SB814 came after news reports that some residents used millions of