Storing Water for the Environment: Operating Reservoirs to Improve California’s Freshwater Ecosystems

Authors

Sarah Null, Utah State UniversityFollow
Jeffrey Mount, University of California
Brian Gray, University of California
Kristen Dybala, Point Blue Conservation Science
Gokce Sencan, PPIC Water Policy Center
Anna Sturrock, University of Essex
Barton Thompson, Stanford Law School
Harrison Zeff, University of North Carolina

Document Type

Report

Publisher

Public Policy Institute of California

Publication Date

8-2022

Keywords

constraint-based regulations, water storage, reservoirs, California, freshwater ecosystems

First Page

1

Last Page

36

Abstract

California’s freshwater ecosystems—its lakes, rivers, floodplains, meadows, natural and managed wetlands, and estuaries—are a vital part of the state’s natural infrastructure. These ecosystems provide numerous benefits, including water supply, hydropower, flood control, fisheries, recreation, and cultural and aesthetic value. They are also home to the nation’s most diverse array of plant and animal communities, with numerous freshwater species found only in California (Jensen et al. 1993; Grantham et al. 2017).

Comments

© 2022 Public Policy Institute of California

Recommended Citation

Null, Sarah; Mount, Jeffrey; Gray, Brian; Dybala, Kristen; Sencan, Gokce; Sturrock, Anna; Thompson, Barton; and Zeff, Harrison, "Storing Water for the Environment: Operating Reservoirs to Improve California’s Freshwater Ecosystems" (2022). Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications. Paper 1157.
https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/wats_facpub/1157