Strategic Dam Removal

Some dams in the United States have outlived their initial license period and must be renovated or retrofitted in order to continue to be usefully operated. However, maintenance and renovations (like changing intake locations, installing fish ladders, and dredging reservoir sediments) can be expensive, and not all harms that dams cause can be mitigated through renovations.

In these contexts, dam removal can be pursued to restore ecosystems, improve the health of rivers, manage public safety, and perhaps even save money in the long run. However, not all dams are candidates for removal - for example, some dams provide essential services, while others may be effective barriers against invasive species spread.

My colleagues and I are evaluating strategic dam removal planning strategies that recognize the spatial contingencies of dam removal projects in highly regulated watersheds and seek benefit maximization and coordination across entire regions. We hope that this work supports proactive, cost-effective, and environmentally restorative dam removal efforts.

Here is a recent paper, “A decision‐support framework for dam removal planning and its application in northern California.”

This work is funded by the Resource Legacy Fund’s Open Rivers initiative.

Optimal Stream Network Monitoring

The water flowing in most rivers is poorly measured or entirely unmeasured, making it difficult to manage water withdrawals, aquatic ecosystems, water quality, and flood risk. Unfortunately, installing and maintaining streamflow monitoring infrastructure is expensive. To ensure that streamflow monitoring networks are efficient and thoughtfully designed, I analyze stream network structures to optimally distribute stream gage infrastructure, understand how far a point measurement of flow can apply, and satisfy sets of monitoring objectives.

This work supports the implementation of California Senate Bill 19 (Dodd).

Incorporating Freshwater Ecosystems in 30x30

30x30 is a growing global movement that aims to conserve 30% of the planet’s land surface by 2030 to build climate change resilience and protect biodiversity. This is an important development in the fight against climate change and environmental degradation. However, as an area-based conservation program, 30x30 runs the risk of failing to adequately protect freshwater ecosystems, since freshwater ecosystems have unique characteristics like lateral and longitudinal connectivity that aren’t typically considered in area-based programs.

My colleagues and I are working to identify principles, practices, and evaluation programs that elevate freshwater ecosystems in 30x30 planning and implementation. For the latest on our work, see this policy update from CalTrout, read our whitepaper, or see a recent publication “Centering 30× 30 conservation initiatives on freshwater ecosystems.”

Our work is supported by the Resources Legacy Fund and CalTrout.

Improving the Accessibility and Utility of Climate Projections

I worked on Cal-Adapt, the website through which the State of California makes climate change projections available for adaptation planning. I led research on the types of information, data interfaces, and technical support that climate adaptation practitioners in California need in their adaptation planning work. In particular, I worked on a team that developed the Local Climate Change Snapshot Tool and created an “introduction to climate science” curriculum hosted on Cal-Adapt and featured in state conservation work like 30x30.

This work was funded by the California Strategic Growth Council.

Is Your Project just water or Just Water: Environmental Justice in Stream Restoration

Stream restoration is a socio-environmental process enacted in a socio-environmental system. However, many stream restoration practitioners and researchers only consider hydrology, geomorphology, and ecology when planning, implementing, and evaluating stream restoration. In this process, human engagement with streams and implications for environmental justice (EJ) go unnoticed. Similarly, environmental justice practitioners and researchers have not yet extended concepts of distributive, participatory, and recognition justice to stream restoration.

Thus, there are critical, practical disconnects between research that demonstrates the interconnectedness of society, environment, and health; the reality of social and environmental injustice; and the management of water resources for the public good. We propose to address these disconnects by synthesizing diverse academic fields to create a best-practices framework for socio-environmental justice specifically in stream restoration. We will then use this framework to assess engagement with different forms of EJ in six completed stream restoration projects to see what effect EJ processes and objectives have on project outcomes. Through these case studies, we will test our hypothesis that the greater the engagement with participatory and recognition justice best practices, the more fully realized equitable distributive justice outcomes will be in stream restoration.

This study has been funded by the National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center.