Projects

Current Projects
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  • SGMA Compliance: Spatial and Operational Consistency across San Joaquin Valley Groundwater Sustainability Agencies

    • Main Idea: Assess engagement of stakeholders in GSAs, particularly small farmers

    • with Steve Blumenshine, PI (California Water Institute, CSU Fresno), Laura Ramos, Paige Gilligan, Don Wright, and students.

Completed Projects

  • Effects of 2021 Drought in Butte County, CA

    • Main idea: Characterize potential economic, environmental, and financial impacts of 2021 drought in Butte County

    • with Janine Stone (Economics, CSU Chico) and team at Luhdorff and Scalmanini Consulting Engineers, 2022

  • Turning Crisis into Opportunity: Organic Conversion during Droughts

    • Main idea: Explore the connection between water shortages and conversion into farm-level organic production in California’s Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta

    • with Tim Delbridge (Agribusiness, Cal Poly SLO), Dean Fairbanks (Geography and Planning, CSU Chico), and Eric Houk (College of Agriculture, CSU Chico), 2018-2020

  • Effects of Salinity on Crop Choice

    • Main idea: Examine the effect of salinity on crop choice in California’s Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta

    • with Janine Stone (Economics, CSU Chico), Dean Fairbanks (Geography and Planning, CSU Chico), Jeff Michael (University of the Pacific), and staff at Geographic Information Center, CSU Chico, 2017-2018

    • Project Report: "Salinity and Crop Choice in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta"

  • Mitigating a Commons Dilemma: Agricultural Water Use in the Mississippi Delta

    • Main idea: Examine policy options for reducing overuse of groundwater in the Mississippi River Valley Alluvial Aquifer in an experimental setting.

    • with Kalyn Coatney, James Barnes, and Chris Wilhelms (Agricultural Economics, Mississippi State University)

  • Conservation of Agricultural Land in the Sacramento River Corridor

    • Main idea: A comprehensive examination of the economic effects of conversion of agricultural land in the Sacramento River Corridor to public/recreational use.

    • contracted by The Sacramento River Forum, funded by California Department of Water Resources, 2014-2016

    • with Pete Tsournos (Economics, CSU Chico), Jake Brimlow (College of Agriculture, CSU Chico), Ryan Miller (Geography and Planning & GIC, CSU Chico) and staff at Geographic Information Center, CSU Chico

    • Project Reports (some linked here)

  • Urban Growth and Water

    • Main idea: An analytical and empirical exploration of optimal investment in public water supply in urban United States.

    • contracted by Industrial Economics, funded by U.S. EPA, 2012

    • with Ed Barbier (University of Wyoming)

    • Project Report: Urban Growth and Water

  • Resource Use Efficiency in Irrigated Agriculture in Pakistan

    • Main idea: Estimate and interpret farm-level water use efficiency achieved within a sample of farmers in eastern Punjab, Pakistan.

    • contracted by International Water Management Institute, Colombo, Sri Lanka, 2012

    • Project Report: (completed)