Groundwater Decision-making: Case Study of the Pajaro Valley
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University of California Santa Cruz University of California Santa Cruz Groundwater Decision-making: Case Study of the Pajaro Valley Image: Action Pajaro Valley Image: USDA Image: Juliancolton on Wikimedia Image: Pajaro Watershed Image: Pajaro Watershed Image: State of California
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Transcript of Groundwater Decision-making: Case Study of the Pajaro Valley
University of California Santa CruzUniversity of California Santa Cruz
Groundwater Decision-making: Case Study of the Pajaro Valley
Image: Action Pajaro Valley
Image: USDA
Image: Juliancolton on Wikimedia
Image: Pajaro WatershedImage: Pajaro Watershed Image: State of California
Research TeamResearch Team
Principal Investigator: Dr. Ruth Langridge, Department of Politics
Co-Principal Investigators:
Nigel Quinn, Ben Crow, Andrew Fisher
Current Graduate Students: Kirsten Rudestam, Department of Sociology
Abigail Brown, Department of Sociology
- with long-standing support from the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration and
California State Energy Commission -
Research GoalResearch Goal
The goal of the Pajaro Component research project is to illuminate the conditions that motivate a region with long-term declining
groundwater levels to develop strategies that: a) alleviate deteriorating groundwater conditions and b) reduce vulnerability to drought through the development of local
groundwater drought reserves.
Pajaro Valley, CaliforniaPajaro Valley, California
- Pajaro River Basin is about 3,400 square km, encompasses multiple counties, tributaries, and creeks- Pajaro Valley basin land use is agricultural, urban, and open space- Primary freshwater source is groundwater
Table: Pacific Institute
Pajaro Valley, CaliforniaPajaro Valley, California
Image: Pajaro Valley Watershed Management Agency
Monterey Bay
Monterey County
San Benito County
Santa Cruz County
Groundwater HistoryGroundwater History
- Seawater intrusion identified by DWR in 1953- Groundwater overdraft identified by DWR in 1980- Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency formed in 1984 to help manage groundwater - Challenges to address overdraft: limited available surface water, increases in urban and rural water usage, legal and political barriers, etc.
Image: Pajaro Valley Watershed Management Agency
Groundwater ManagementGroundwater Management
- PVWMA manages recharge basins, recycled water, distribution system, conservation, etc.- Numerous community groups exist to manage water quality and water quantity- But groundwater extraction still exceeds sustainable yield
Image: Pajaro Valley Watershed Management Agency Image: Pajaro Valley Watershed Management Agency
Research QuestionsResearch Questions
What are community member perceptions of and behaviors related to groundwater
management?
What considerations influence long-term groundwater management?
Who participates in groundwater decision-making practices? How are groundwater
decisions made?
Research ProcessResearch Process
(1) initial (1) initial assessmentassessment (2) key (2) key
stakeholdersstakeholders
(3) research (3) research designdesign
(4) interviews(4) interviews(5) assessment(5) assessment
(6) analysis(6) analysis
Collaborative Governance and Community Groundwater Decision-making
1. What are structures in groundwater decision-making groups?
2. What are processes of exclusion?3. What are mitigation strategies?
Pajaro Valley Paper
Drivers of group formation
Structure of formal decision-making groups
Structure of informal decision-making groups
Processes of exclusion from formal/informal
groundwater decision-making groups
Excluded populations
Common Pool Resource Theory and Political Ecology
1. When does local control work?2. What constitutes “the commons”?
3. What is the scale of analysis?
Pajaro Valley Paper
Understanding of place
Understanding of self/self identification
Perception and understanding of
groundwater issues
Engagement with water management practices
Involvement in decision-making networks
Ways individuals engage with groundwater
Experiences/QuestionsExperiences/Questions
- Sharing of experiences around groundwater management - Questions for discussion
Image: Pajaro Valley Watershed Management AgencyImage: Pajaro Valley Watershed Management Agency
Image: Tim McNamara on flickr
Thank You!Thank You!
http://droughtreserves.ucsc.edu
For more information, please contact [email protected] or [email protected]
Image: National Resource Conservation Service
