What makes a good water portfolio and how to remove California's obsolete dams

Berkeley scientist is skeptical of big infrastructure projects and explains the benefits of 'strategic dam removal.' Interview with Lucy Andrews, Pt. 2

Lucy Andrews is an environmental scientist and a PhD student in the Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management at UC Berkeley.

Based in Grantham Lab, she works with her colleagues on a wide variety of freshwater research and management projects—all in the context of climate change and environmental justice, including water loss prevention, dam removal, ecosystems monitoring, water auditing, and stream restoration.

This is the second part of an interview (see part 1) I conducted with Andrews on Aug. 25, 2023.

Lucy Andrews at Donohue Pass on the border of Yosemite National Park at 11,000 ft. Photo: Lucy Andrews

SoCal Water Wars

The history of water management in the southwest is based on never-ending growth and providing an abundance of water for that growth in the tradition of huge infrastructure projects going back to the New Deal, despite the realities of climate change.

What are your thoughts on that, and what would be a good “portfolio” approach to water management?