It’s no secret that Californias ecosystems suffer during droughts. In times of water shortage, environmental uses are often given low priority, leading fish die-offs, and other negative outcomes. Professor Sarah Null from Utah State University will work with a diverse group of experts over the next year to study how to better manage water that is stored for the environment. This will help to protect vulnerable ecosystems in a time when there is rapid climate change and biodiversity loss. Null, a PPIC CalTrout Ecosystem Fellow, is an expert on environmental water management and water system modeling.
What does it entail to store water for the environment and why is it important.
It refers to the storage of water in either groundwater or surface reservoirs for the environment. We are interested in expanding the options available for managing water flexiblely. We are looking at storage as a means to manage water. It could be traded or stored for later use. Or released to support ecosystem function.
What is our greatest challenge in storing water for environment right now?
Our team identified three major challenges. The first is infrastructure. Reservoirs were originally built for water supply, hydropower, and flood protection. It is important to consider how water storage for the environment might impact other uses. Governance is another challenge. How would you manage water for the environment. The last challenge is legal options and constraints. How can water be stored so that it can be used in accordance with existing laws? These are the major challenges, but there are likely to be other ones.
What are you learning about managing environmental water for maximum environmental benefits?
For ecosystem maintenance to be successful, it is necessary to have environmental regulatory requirements. They are not good at restoring ecosystems. If we want to increase resilience, we need flexible water allocations. This could allow for more proactive water use management, as well as better integration with urban and agricultural water users.
How accurate are our models in predicting climate change effects on hydrology, water quality and aquatic habitats?
We are very confident in the climate’s warming, but there is uncertainty as to how. Much moreThe climate is warming. Precipitation, however, is a different ball of wax. We don’t know if climate change will cause California’s climate to become wetter or dryer. Both could happen with wetter winters or drier summers. Because of warming, more rain will fall as snow instead of snow. This will lead to flashier rivers with lots of runoff over short periods of time and very dry summers. These conditions are difficult to manage and there is a lot of uncertainty. We simulate many alternatives for hydrological and climate modeling to really understand the limits of uncertainty.
What is it that makes you excited about this job right now?
This project is innovative and exciting. We know the status quo doesn’t work for ecosystems. This is an opportunity for us to be bold and to think differently. The high level of uncertainty in hydrologic and system conditions can pose a significant risk to ecosystems and water management. This adds urgency and makes the project extremely timely.
This project is a success because of the great team we have. I’m excited to be leading it. I am an expert in environmental water management, systems modeling, and we have a team that includes a water lawyer and geomorphologist, as well as ecologists and water lawyers. Although it’s not unusual to bring together multiple disciplines to work in water management, it’s always the best way.