World Water Initiative

Weak and problematic levees are a big reason why there was so much destruction when Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans in 2005.

A fight over the management of a diked island in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta is shining a light on a growing conundrum for California water managers, farmers and environmentalists over the best way to restore natural habitat on cropland created more than a century ago by draining marshes.

Over the past month, storms that swept across California brought just shy of the Sierra's long-term average, providing temporary relief for the Nellies who audit the State's frozen water supply.

The World Water Initiative brings together UC Davis experts from all fields to solve water issues like flooding.

Nicholas Pinter, champion of the World Water Initiative, and UC Davis undergraduate student James "Huck" Rees are hoping their research in flooding will help towns reduce their risk and, if appropriate, consider moving out of harm's way. 

UC Davis professor and director of the Center for Watershed Sciences Jay Lund explains the important role UC Davis engineers will play in solving water problems that plague societies across the globe.

“On the whole, it’s good news. But good news on water is only temporary in California,” said Jay Lund, professor of civil and environmental engineering at UC Davis, and director of watershed sciences at the school. “In wet years, we have to prepare for dry years, and in dry years for wet years.”

New scientific research over the past few decades has taught us better ways to help struggling fish populations. Scientists throughout the state have determined that the water-only approach to helping fish favored by the State Water Board simply may not be the best solution.

Tens of thousands of people living in the San Joaquin Valley’s unincorporated, rural, low-income communities have unsafe drinking water pouring from their taps.

UC Davis Researchers Bring Water Expertise Across Borders to Help a Region Impacted by Catastrophic Floods