Current Research
The Santa Ana River in Norco, CA. Western Riverside County Regional Conservation Authority
Freshwater Health Index Application to the Santa Ana River Watershed
The Freshwater Health Index (FHI) is a new tool initiated by the non-government organization Conservation International that assesses various indicators of freshwater health at the water basin level. The indicators transparently assess the health of freshwater systems, where “health” is defined as the ability to deliver drinking water, crop irrigation, flood protection, and other water-related ecosystem services sustainably — linking upstream areas (supply) with downstream communities (demand). It also offers:
information to help in developing plans and policies at the water basin level
a snapshot of current conditions in the watershed that can be repeated and help evaluate scenarios for land-use change, infrastructure development, and climate change
a picture of the tradeoffs of a given action as well as areas of opportunity
Working closely with collaborators at UC Riverside and the San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District, I will be working on the development and application of the Freshwater Health Index to the Santa Ana River Watershed, the largest watershed in Southern California and home to more than six million people, 26% of whom are disadvantaged.