The Confluence

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The Confluence is the blog of the California Institute for Water Resources (CIWR) within University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources. We cover timely topics of water management in California, highlight innovative research and voices.

CIWR's mission is to integrate California's research, extension, and education programs to develop research-based solutions to water resource challenges. We do this by facilitating collaborative research and outreach on water issues across California's academic institutions and with international, federal, state, regional, nonprofit, and campus communities.

Visit us at: ciwr.ucanr.edu | follow us on Bluesky @ucanrwater.bsky.social, LinkedIn, and Twitter/X @ucanrwater

University of California
Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources
California Institute for Water Resources

Photo courtesy of the Luskin Center for Innovation.

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When it comes to water access, the devil is in the details

September 24, 2020

Greg Pierce is the Associate Director of the Luskin Center for Innovation at UCLA and serves as a Senior Researcher, leading the Water, Environmental Equity, and Transportation programs. Your research is centered on basic service provision, with a focus on water and transportation.

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An instrumented forest restoration site in the Middle Fork of the American River Basin. Credit: Safeeq Khan.

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The impacts of timber harvest on sediment transport and yield in watersheds

August 11, 2020

After timber harvest or fuel reduction thinning operations, sediment delivery to nearby streams and waterways can increase, potentially affecting water quality, drinking water supplies, habitat, and recreational opportunities.

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Students in the Tripati Lab. Photo courtesy of Center for Diverse Leadership in Science.

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Retaining diverse environment and water scholars through community

June 15, 2020

By any measure, Aradhna Tripati is a brilliant scientist. She began college full-time at the age of 12, has been on the faculty at UCLA since 2009, and received tenure in 2014.

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Maggie Reiter with stakeholders on a naturalized area of a golf course. Photo by James Hempfling.

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Golf courses go wild

May 13, 2020

By Kathryn M Stein

When we think about golf courses, we tend to picture miles of well-watered, uniformly clipped, and perfectly manicured grass, not drought-tolerant native grass, wildlife habitat, and ecological restoration.

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Emily Fairfax with a chewed tree, a signature sign of beaver activity.

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From being an engineer to researching nature’s engineers

April 27, 2020

When I came face to face with beaver dams for the first time, I had what can only be described as a transformative experience, says Emily Fairfax, an assistant professor of environmental science and resource management at California State University, Channel Islands.

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