Water Resources

After 60 years, the San Joaquin River again flows to the sea and salmon runs are being restored. But many challenges remain in the river's revival. Featuring Switzer Fellows Peter Vorster and Mark Tompkins. Produced by 2003 Switzer Fellow Jim Downing.

Polluted aquifers in the San Joaquin Valley deprive dozens of communities of safe tap water. Switzer Fellow Carolina Balazs is working with local residents to help understand and address the problem. Produced by 2003 Switzer Fellow Jim Downing. (See related post.)

1988 Switzer Fellow Dr. Mark Schlautman is a professor at Clemson University in the Department of Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences. A project in which Mark played a key role over a number of years recently made headlines in California. The Brake Pad Partnership, led by San Francisco-based Sustainable Conservation, led the effort to pass legislation reducing the use of copper in brake pads in California.

In 1997, Oakland, California, began to face the challenge of sustainability on a community level. Today, Oakland enjoys cleaner air, improved recycling, more bike lanes – and a consistent ranking in the Top Ten U.S. Green Cities. Garrett Fitzgerald, Oakland’s Sustainability Coordinator and a Switzer Fellow, shares key steps.