Publication November 1, 2017

Layperson’s Guide to Climate Change and Water Resources
Published 2017

Evidence shows that climate change is affecting California with warmer temperatures, less snowfall and more extreme weather events. This guide explains the causes of climate change, the effects on water resources and efforts underway to better adapt to a changing climate. It includes information on both California water and the water of the Colorado River Basin, a widely shared resource throughout the Southwest.

The 20-page Layperson’s Guide to Climate Change and Water Resources is an in-depth, easy-to-understand publication that provides context, background, a glossary of terms and a list of publications and reports for more information. Order in bulk (25 copies or more) for a reduced rate. Call 916-444-6240 for information.

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Publication March 21, 2025 Brian Brown Layperson's Guide to Climate Change and Water Resources

California Project WET Gazette
Spring 2025

Image shows the water cycle from evaporation to precipitation.

Earth Systems Out of Balance

You might feel like our natural world is out of balance right now and with good reason: The first tornado of 2025 touched down not in the Midwest’s ‘Tornado Alley’, but in Northern California’s Tehama County, followed within days by fires that exploded across Southern California. All within the first week of January.

Both events were driven by weather extremes that are becoming more common throughout California and the world. Extreme wind patterns played a role in both. The fires were driven by record Santa Ana winds and extreme soil moisture levels of just 2 percent to 5 percent of average across much of Southern California – conditions that can draw so much moisture from living plants that fires become almost unstoppable.

It turns out the sense of imbalance is real. Recent research indicates that the system that moves water around the Earth is off balance for the first time in human history – and humanity has a lot to do with it.

Announcement October 14, 2021 Jenn Bowles Brian Brown Layperson's Guide to Climate Change and Water Resources

Water Education Foundation Honored Nationally for Program that Trains Teachers in Climate Change Science
The Foundation’s teacher training program was recognized for its innovative partnership with the California Department of Water Resources

The Water Education Foundation has won a national award for its innovative partnership with the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) to train schoolteachers across the state on climate science and how they can bring hands-on activities into their classrooms connected to local examples of climate change impacts.

The award was presented today by the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions and The Climate Registry during their virtual Climate Leadership Series and Awards Showcase, Oct. 13-15. The Climate Leadership Awards is a national program that recognizes exemplary corporate, organizational and individual leadership in response to climate change. In all, 24 organizations nationwide were honored this year.

Western Water February 27, 2020 Layperson's Guide to Climate Change and Water Resources California Water Map Gary Pitzer

Can Carbon Credits Save Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Islands and Protect California’s Vital Water Hub?
WESTERN WATER NOTEBOOK: An ambitious plan would use carbon credits as incentives to convert Delta islands to wetlands or rice to halt subsidence and potentially raise island elevations

The islands of the western Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta are sinking as the rich peat soil that attracted generations of farmers dries out and decays. As the peat decomposes, it releases tons of carbon dioxide – a greenhouse gas – into the atmosphere. As the islands sink, the levees that protect them are at increasing risk of failure, which could imperil California’s vital water conveyance system.

An ambitious plan now in the works could halt the decay, sequester the carbon and potentially reverse the sinking.

Western Water November 7, 2019 Layperson's Guide to Climate Change and Water Resources Gary PitzerDouglas E. Beeman

As Wildfires Grow More Intense, California Water Managers Are Learning To Rewrite Their Emergency Playbook
WESTERN WATER IN-DEPTH: Agencies share lessons learned as they recover from fires that destroyed facilities, contaminated supplies and devastated their customers

By Gary Pitzer and Douglas E. Beeman

It’s been a year since two devastating wildfires on opposite ends of California underscored the harsh new realities facing water districts and cities serving communities in or adjacent to the state’s fire-prone wildlands. Fire doesn’t just level homes, it can contaminate water, scorch watersheds, damage delivery systems and upend an agency’s finances.

Western Water February 9, 2018 Layperson's Guide to Climate Change and Water Resources Ridiculously Resilient Ridge, On the Road in the Central Valley, Don't-Miss Water Reads Gary Pitzer

‘Ridiculously Resilient Ridge,’ Climate Change and the Future of California’s Water
WESTERN WATER Q&A: Climate scientist Daniel Swain

Every day, people flock to Daniel Swain’s social media platforms to find out the latest news and insight about California’s notoriously unpredictable weather. Swain, a climate scientist at the Institute of the Environment and Sustainability at UCLA, famously coined the term “Ridiculously Resilient Ridge” in December 2013 to describe the large, formidable high-pressure mass that was parked over the West Coast during winter and diverted storms away from California, intensifying the drought.

Swain’s research focuses on atmospheric processes that cause droughts and floods, along with the changing character of extreme weather events in a warming world. A lifelong Californian and alumnus of University of California, Davis, and Stanford University, Swain is best known for the widely read Weather West blog, which provides unique perspectives on weather and climate in California and the western United States. In a recent interview with Western Water, he talked about the Ridiculously Resilient Ridge, its potential long-term impact on California weather, and what may lie ahead for the state’s water supply.

Western Water November 27, 2017 Layperson's Guide to Climate Change and Water Resources Gary Pitzer

The Drought May Be Over, But California Still Wants Residents to Act Like It’s On Forever
State considers adopting permanent wise water use rules starting in April

For decades, no matter the weather, the message has been preached to Californians: use water wisely, especially outdoors, which accounts for most urban water use.

Enforcement of that message filters to the local level, where water agencies routinely target the notorious “gutter flooder” with gentle reminders and, if necessary, financial penalties.

Aquapedia background February 14, 2014 Layperson's Guide to Flood Management Layperson's Guide to Climate Change and Water Resources California Water Map

Flooding and Flood Management

When people think of natural disasters in California, they typically think about earthquakes. Yet the natural disaster that residents are most likely to face involves flooding, not fault lines. In fact, all 58 counties in the state have declared a state of emergency from flooding at least three times since 1950. And the state’s capital, Sacramento, is considered one of the nation’s most flood-prone cities. Floods also affect every Californian because flood management projects and damages are paid with public funds.

Aquapedia background February 11, 2014 Lakes Unwelcome Visitors Layperson's Guide to Climate Change and Water Resources

Lake Tahoe

Lake Tahoe is one of the world’s most beautiful yet vulnerable lakes. Renowned for its remarkable clarity, Tahoe straddles the Nevada-California border, stretching 22 miles long and 12 miles wide in a granitic bowl high in the Sierra Nevada.

Tahoe sits 6,225 feet above sea level. Its deepest point is 1,645 feet, making it the second-deepest lake in the nation, after Oregon’s Crater Lake, and the tenth deepest in the world.

Aquapedia background January 30, 2014 Layperson's Guide to Climate Change and Water Resources California Water Map Colorado River Basin Map

Climate Change

California Department of Water Resources snow survey in the Sierra Nevada.

Climate change involves natural and man-made changes to weather patterns that occur over millions of years or over multiple decades.

In the past 150 years, human industrial activity has accelerated the rate of change in the climate due to the increase in greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide, among others). Scientific studies describing this climate change continue to be produced and its expected impacts continue to be assessed.