Jay R. Lund, Ellen Hanak, William E. Fleenor, William A. Bennett, Richard E. Howitt, Jeffrey F. Mount, and Peter B. Moyle

Comparing Futures for the Sacramento - San Joaquin Delta

A Stephen Bechtel Fund Book in Ecology and the Environment

$39.95, £27.95 hardcover

9780520261976

NYP--Due 2/10

256 pages, 6 x 9 inches, 26 color illustrations, 12 color maps, 14 tables
February 2010, Available worldwide
Also in: General Ecology; Environmental History

Description
Reviews
Author Bio

An ecosystem in freefall, a shrinking water supply for cities and agriculture, an antiquated network of failure-prone levees—this is the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, the major hub of California's water system. Written by a team of independent water experts, this analysis of the latest data evaluates proposed solutions to the Delta's myriad problems. Through in-depth economic and ecological analysis, the authors find that the current policy of channeling water exports through the Delta is not sustainable for any interest. Employing a peripheral canal-conveying water around the Delta instead of through it—as part of a larger habitat and water management plan appears to be the best strategy to maintain both a high-quality water supply and at the same time improve conditions for native fish and wildlife. This important assessment includes integrated analysis of long term ecosystem and water management options and demonstrates how issues such as climate change and sustainability will shape the future.

Published in cooperation with the Public Policy Institute of California

"Few areas in the world better exemplify the fragile connections between science, engineering, economics and public policy than the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. The authors of Comparing Futures have, for the first time, illuminated those connections in a unique and comprehensive manner. Their creativity, expertise, and insights shine a guiding light on what has been an intractable dilemma. In doing so, they have established what should be the new standard for the integration of critical thinking into policy-making."—Anthony Saracino, Director, California Water Program, The Nature Conservancy

"At once richly historical in narrative and cutting-edge in its computer modeling. At once innovative in thinking and authoritative in its account of the state of the Sacramento-San Joaquin, this book is essential reading for citizens, advocacy groups on all sides, businesses and organizations that take water for granted, and—most important—those who would govern California and the United States. A balance between human demands and nature's needs will be shaped in the Delta; readers of this volume can help to make it an informed balance."—Kai N. Lee, David & Lucile Packard Foundation

"The California Delta is in crisis, and this book seeks better solutions to the complex problems it faces. The experience and expertise of these authors in the Delta is unsurpassed. Their ideas and suggestions deserve thoughtful consideration and scrutiny by both scientists and decision makers."—Dr. Cliff Dahm, Lead Scientist, CALFED Bay-Delta Program

Jay R. Lund is Professor of Environmental Engineering and Director of the Center for Watershed Sciences. William E. Fleenor is a Research Engineer in the Environmental Dynamics Laboratory. William A. Bennett is a Research Scientist with the John Muir Institute of the Environment. Richard E. Howitt is Professor and Chair of Agricultural and Resource Economics. Jeffrey F. Mount is Professor of Applied Geosciences. Peter B. Moyle is Professor in the Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology. They are all affiliated with the Center for Watershed Sciences, University of California, Davis. Ellen Hanak is Director of Research and Thomas C. Sutton Chair in Policy Research at the Public Policy Institute of California.