Climate Change, the Water Cycle, and Extreme Weather 

• The impacts of climate change on the water cycle and how it will affect us: https://scied.ucar.edu/learning-zone/climate-change-impacts/water-cycle-climate-change 

• Studies regarding the hydrologic cycle and climate change https://www.gfdl.noaa.gov/climate-change-and-the-hydrologic-cycle/ 

• Extremes in California’s precipitation (dry and rain heavy years) and possible solutions https://cw3e.ucsd.edu/Climate_Variability_Theme/

• A warming California sets the stage for future floods https://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/warming-california-future-floods-reservoirs

• Climate change induced water cycle extremes – intense drought to severe flooding: https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms9657.pdf

• Map that shows various storms, droughts and other extreme weather effects with links to possible human influence. 

https://www.carbonbrief.org/mapped-how-climate-change-affects-extreme-weather-around-the-world

• Report on a study conducted at UCLA forecasting the extremes of precipitation associated with  climate change. https://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/california-extreme-climate-future-ucla-study move to Climate Change, the water cycle and extreme weather heading

• Report from NASA on drought in California: https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/148123/drought-conditions-continue-in-spring-2021

Changes in the Sierra Snowpack (rain vs. snow events)

• The impact of climate change on California regarding water availability:
  https://www.climatehotmap.org/global-warming-locations/hetch-hetchy-ca-usa.html

• Explains the value of the Sierra Nevada snowpack to agriculture as well as the declining accessibility of water supply:
  https://water.ca.gov/Programs/All-Programs/Climate-Change-Program/Climate-Change-and-Water 

Flood Risk

• Increased risk of flooding to communities due to climate change. https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2020/06/29/flood-risk-climate-change/ 

    Identify your risk of flooding using a FEMA map.    https://msc.fema.gov/portal/home

Effects of Climate on Drought, Soil Moisture and Groundwater

• U.S. drought map, updated regularly.
  https://www.c2es.org/content/drought-and-climate-change/ 

• Water conservation in Sacramento County and how you can help https://www.saccounty.net/waterconservation/Pages/WaterConservation.aspx 

• Climate change indicator:  drought over 50 years
  https://www.epa.gov/climate-indicators/climate-change-indicators-drought 

• Climate change impacts on soil moisture:

    https://www.carbonbrief.org/climate-changes-impact-on-soil-moisture-could-push-land-    past-tipping-point 

• Climate change impacts on groundwater create an environmental time bomb 
  https://www.carbonbrief.org/climate-change-impact-groundwater-environmental-timebomb 

• Climate change affects California, including human health, water, wildfires, sea level rise and agriculture: https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2016-09/documents/climate-change-ca.pdf

Effects of Warming on Water Quality 

• Water quality solutions to stormwater runoff, algal blooms, erosion and sedimentation using green infrastructure: 

https://www.epa.gov/arc-x/climate-impacts-water-quality 

• Impacts of climate change on rivers, threats and solutions https://www.americanrivers.org/threats-solutions/clean-water/impacts-rivers/ 

• Historical article about Lake Erie’s harmful algal bloom, including threats to drinking. Warming weather may result in similar outcomes in the future: https://theconversation.com/climate-change-threatens-drinking-water-quality-across-the-great-lakes-131883 

Sea Level Rise

•  Graphs documenting the change in sea level from 1880 and explaining the causes and effects of sea level rise: https://www.climate.gov/news-features/understanding-climate/climate-change-global-sea-level 

• Connects sea level rise to multiple other effects of global warming. https://scied.ucar.edu/learning-zone/climate-change-impacts/water-cycle-climate-change 

Climate Change and Water Availability in California

• Explains the impact of atmospheric rivers on California reservoirs: https://water.ca.gov/News/Blog/2020/October/Atmospheric-Rivers-and-Their-Impact-on-California-Reservoirs 

• Climate Change and the Future of California’s Water, a poster, with text and resources: 

https://water.ca.gov/What-We-Do/Education/Climate-Change-Poster 

• Climate Change Basics –  How California is Responding to Climate Change: https://water.ca.gov/Water-Basics/Climate-Change-Basics  

Low Impact Development

Low impact development (LID) practices are a group of stormwater management and housing development approaches that use the natural patterns of runoff of the land to manage runoff produced by the impervious cover associated with houses, driveways, parking lots, and streets.  Some of the common practices are rain gardens, swales, and pervious pavement as well as building new houses around the natural landscape instead of grading and compacting soil.  LID not only reduces runoff to local waterways, thereby reducing degradation of habitat for fish and wildlife, but these practices also increase percolation of rain and runoff into the soil to help recharge the groundwater, the source of drinking water for many in our area.

• The Sleepy Hollow detention basin was originally designed for flood control projects.  In recent years, its function changed enhance stormwater infiltration,  improve habitat, and provide recreational opportunities for the surrounding community. 

https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/board_reference/2014fall/docs/sleepy_hollow_detention_basin_retrofit_project_fs.pdf 

• The Harvest Water is a project of the Regional Sanitation District that will use tertiary-treated wastewater for irrigating agriculture instead of irrigating with groundwater.  The project will provide 30-50,000 acre feet/year of treated wastewater for aquifer recharge, thus help conserve groundwater

https://www.regionalsan.com/harvest-water

• The Sacramento Stormwater Quality Partnership provides useful information on water conservation and river friendly landscaping practices.  https://www.beriverfriendly.net/riverfriendlylandscaping/

• The Elk Grove Rain Garden Plaza, across from Colton Park in Elk Grove, demonstrates a working rain garden as well as other creek-friendly and low impact development practices.   https://www.elkgrovecity.org/UserFiles/Servers/Server_109585/File/Visitors/Rain%20Garden/rain-garden-fact-sheet.pdf

• Sustainable Landscaping in California is a comprehensive guide to climate and river friendly landscape practices, published by UC Agriculture and Natural Resources: https://anrcatalog.ucanr.edu/pdf/8504.pdf

• The Laguna Creek Watershed Council’s Creek Care Guide provides useful information on how to be everyone, no matter where you live, can be a good steward of our local waterways.

https://lagunacreek.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Creek-Care-GuideFinal.pdf

• FAQs on reducing runoff from your property

 https://lagunacreek.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/river-friendly-landscaping.pdf

• Useful information on river friendly landscape and fact sheets on….

https://www.beriverfriendly.net/riverfriendlylandscaping/

• Information on how to create a rain garden – https://ucanr.edu/sites/scmg/Feature_Articles/RAIN_GARDENS__Practical_and_Beautiful/

• Information on climate friendly gardening practices including sustainable home gardening, California natives, drip irrigation, gardening in the age of climate change, and waterwise gardening

http://sonomamg.ucanr.edu/

• Comprehensive website which includes a varied information and resources including information on water efficient plants for the Sacramento Valley:

 http://sacmg.ucanr.edu/ 

• The UC Davis Arboretum has develop a list of All-Stars, plants well adapted to our area

https://arboretum.ucdavis.edu/arboretum-all-stars

Local Demonstration gardens:

The Sacramento area has many public gardens that illustrate how to implement LID practices and selected locally-adapted plants that use less water.

Sacramento area gardens:

• Demonstration food garden: https://www.capradio.org/media/9039618/GardenSigns.pdf 

• City of Sacramento demonstration garden: https://www.sacramentofoodbank.org/demonstration-garden 

• Fair Oaks Water Efficient Garden  https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/08dfc4ca4aa641189bdcc970cb1a6cae http://sacmg.ucanr.edu/Fair_Oaks_Horticulture_Center/Water_Efficient_Landscape_Garden/ 

UCD gardens:

• https://arboretum.ucdavis.edu/tags/sustainable-demonstration-garden
• https://arboretum.ucdavis.edu/news/aquafree-garden
• https://beegarden.ucdavis.edu/visit-us/planning/