Developing tools to model impaired streamflow in streams throughout California

Upstream Tech and The Nature Conservancy in California are partnering to combine our cutting edge technology and deep environmental science expertise to support water policy and planning across the state. Through a multi-phase and multi-year agreement, we are modeling streamflow across hundreds of gauged and ungauged basins in California to inform three main efforts: environmental flows planning, water allocation decisions, and gauge prioritization.

These types of decisions are all vitally important for basin and state-wide planning efforts, particularly in years of extreme flows (such as our current year). We recently published a post in the California Water Blog sharing more about our collaboration and findings so far.

Read the full blog post to learn more about how our work is helping to answer such critical questions as:

• Will a given stream pass critical thresholds for ecosystem health in the upcoming months?
• How much water is likely to be available in the upcoming days and season, and how can allocators make informed decisions?
• What is the likelihood that a given stream's upcoming flows will yield sufficient water for all users?
• Where are additional streamflow gauges needed to supplement policymakers and water managers’ existing information and to support additional modeling?

If you’re interested in learning more about our work or Upstream Tech’s HydroForecast, please reach out to team@hydroforecast.com