iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Greg Pierce @gregspierce.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Obviously you haven't heard enough from our @luskininnovation.bsky.social- @ucanrwater.bsky.social water systems-wildfire working group, so here's a chance to get an update and discuss: "Fact and fiction: What changed for water systems following the 2025 LA fires"

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Greg Pierce @gregspierce.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

During the 2025 fires, water management was uniquely blamed compared to past fires. Sharing this new UCLA+USC study released today wherein we show that political sentiment from partisan cues was by far the most powerful explanation regarding the role of water management in the 2025 LA fires.

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Greg Pierce @gregspierce.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

Was fun to work on this with the amazing team led by @mberesford.bsky.social. We would be much better equipped if we had household Human Right to Water data collection pathways in the U.S. at scale for this, as we already do for energy, food, transportation and so many other household insecurities.

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Greg Pierce @gregspierce.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

Front page of the LA Times right now. I guess water for fire is important.

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Greg Pierce @gregspierce.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

There’s a lot of swag at water events, but I’ve never seen a mutual water system cookie before

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Greg Pierce @gregspierce.bsky.social · 05/05/2026

Love the content, but maybe let’s lose the cult tract vibe

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Greg Pierce @gregspierce.bsky.social · 28/04/2026

Not exactly simple, but on the way to to a universal home assessment approach (see appendix).

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Greg Pierce @gregspierce.bsky.social · 27/04/2026

Got a memorable storm-power line-fire tutorial in my backyard last night courtesy of SoCalEdison

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Greg Pierce @gregspierce.bsky.social · 16/03/2026

Join us to talk about a difficult subject next week: "Making Water More Affordable" in Southern California.

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Greg Pierce @gregspierce.bsky.social · 05/03/2026

Perhaps you weren't able to absorb all ~10k words from our discussion paper. Not to fret: co-author @edithdeguzman.bsky.social has created a more user-friendly table summarizing the 8 pathway options we discuss if you think any pathway should be pursued.

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Greg Pierce @gregspierce.bsky.social · 12/01/2026

@edithdeguzman.bsky.social, @fkearns.bsky.social and I came up with a "menu" that is included as a worksheet in the appendix to our "Water Systems’ Wildfire Fighting Capacities and Expectations" report released last week.

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Greg Pierce @gregspierce.bsky.social · 21/12/2025

There are a lot of serious parts of this article, but this is not one of them lol

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Greg Pierce @gregspierce.bsky.social · 16/12/2025

Based on the unique way that the role of water system infrastructure in the Palisades fire has been covered and perceived, we put out a new issue brief today to answer a simple question: How often have the 'hydrants run dry' in recent major wildfires across the U.S. West?

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Greg Pierce @gregspierce.bsky.social · 24/11/2025

Here's a graphical summary of our Water Systems-Wildfire article in Environmental Research Letters, which is in the Supplementary Material, but gets buried unless you know to look for it. Thanks to @edithdeguzman.bsky.social for creating! Full article: iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1...

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Greg Pierce @gregspierce.bsky.social · 21/11/2025

Our peer-reviewed, Open Access perspective is out in IOP Publishing's Environmental Research Letters: "Adapting urban water supply infrastructure and policies for wildfire in the 21st century" iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1...

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Greg Pierce @gregspierce.bsky.social · 19/11/2025

When someone tells me to “meet by the Dragon Fountain,” I do it without any questions.

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Greg Pierce @gregspierce.bsky.social · 05/11/2025

Our advisory group folks are pictured below. Full report: www.waterboards.ca.gov/water_issues...

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Greg Pierce @gregspierce.bsky.social · 05/11/2025

Our @luskininnovation.bsky.social-led, 4-university team report w the State Water Board on Phase 1 of the CA Wastewater Needs Assessment is out. It runs a brisk 187 pages and lays out the methodologies for implementation in Phase 2, to be completed by July 1, 2027. You're welcome.

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Greg Pierce @gregspierce.bsky.social · 30/09/2025

Some parts of US EPA keep working. They just released a "National Sewershed Dataset" of wastewater system boundaries for all 50 states and Washington, D.C. Similar to the work done on the drinking water boundary side the last few years.

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Greg Pierce @gregspierce.bsky.social · 03/09/2025

North America for the groundwater extractive win!

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Greg Pierce @gregspierce.bsky.social · 25/07/2025

Colleagues Sam Sandoval, Erika Cassio et al @ucanrwater.bsky.social on the CA Wastewater Needs Assessment conducted a statewide survey of sanitation inequities. Finding highlights (MHPs!) from the survey are below, and an extensive field campaign is ongoing

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Greg Pierce @gregspierce.bsky.social · 10/07/2025

We are at the midway point of the State Water Resources Control Board's inaugural statewide Wastewater Needs Assessment. Which investigates CA communities’ access to adequate wastewater & provides the Board recs on priorities and projects that support equitable access

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Greg Pierce @gregspierce.bsky.social · 27/06/2025

Our full report "Drought & Climate Resiliency Solutions for Small Water Systems in LA County" is out ⬇️. This is the work of 12 UCLA Urban Planning recent Masters graduates for LA County DPW. Which @edithdeguzman.bsky.social & I at the @luskininnovation.bsky.social helped supervise.

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Greg Pierce @gregspierce.bsky.social · 24/06/2025

Final report funded by the Water Research Foundation on leading utility-led affordability practices is out ⬇️ . We @luskininnovation.bsky.social worked on this. Thanks to Morgan @pacificinstitute.bsky.social for leading the project, +folks @ CIS, UNC and many utility, NPO & CBO reps for advising.

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Greg Pierce @gregspierce.bsky.social · 05/06/2025

Finally got our work on the relationship between EV incentives, EV registration and equity in CA out in peer reviewed form at Transport Policy. Led by @rachelconnolly.bsky.social, myself and Dan Coffee @luskininnovation.bsky.social Highlights🔽

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Greg Pierce @gregspierce.bsky.social · 19/05/2025

Hey look it's @kbdobbin.bsky.social, Justin McBride's and my work on Water System Consolidation in California on the cover of the June 2025 edition of Journal American Water Works Association. Another @luskininnovation.bsky.social @ucanrwater.bsky.social @ucberkeleyofficial.bsky.social collab.

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Greg Pierce @gregspierce.bsky.social · 17/05/2025

Proof this screening happened. The most fun panel I’ve been on in a while

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Greg Pierce @gregspierce.bsky.social · 14/05/2025

New guidance and recommendations to governor from researchers working on soil contamination cleanup post LA wildfires engineering.purdue.edu/PlumbingSafe...

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Greg Pierce @gregspierce.bsky.social · 06/05/2025

Some obvious limitations to this, but still the largest and an eye-opening take by LA residents (April 2025) on what they think most contributed to the LA Wildfires.

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Greg Pierce @gregspierce.bsky.social · 22/04/2025

Our short @natureportfolio.nature.com Nature Energy piece led by @ioes.ucla.edu's Rachel Sheinberg is out reflecting on lessons learned from the first few years of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power's unique 100 Equity Strategies effort.

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Greg Pierce @gregspierce.bsky.social · 18/04/2025

Join us on May 14 for this @nationalacademies.org meeting on Water Supply Systems and Wildfires ⬇️

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Greg Pierce @gregspierce.bsky.social · 01/04/2025

If you're at the California-Nevada Section American Water Works Association conference next week, check out the full slate of speakers we have talking about wildfire-water supply impacts. Reflecting on experiences in LA, Wrightwood, Colorado and more.

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Greg Pierce @gregspierce.bsky.social · 26/03/2025

Rare opportunity to work for as a "Senior Associate, Water Equity and Climate Resilience" w/ the Water Equity and Climate Resilience (WECR) Caucus. The leading national network of frontline community-based organizations and allies advancing water, climate, and justice solutions.

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Greg Pierce @gregspierce.bsky.social · 25/03/2025

Great new report by Urban Land Institute and UCLA/USC colleagues. I was esp struck by extent of destruction to MHPs in the Palisades Fire. And the extent of damage (but not destruction) to MFH esp in the Eaton fire. CC: @andrewrumbach.bsky.social, @zacharylamb.bsky.social @cjgabbe.bsky.social

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Greg Pierce @gregspierce.bsky.social · 19/02/2025

If you're in the LA area on March 4, check out our @uclawater.bsky.social seminar featuring Professor Jessica Cattelino and doctoral candidate Kelsey Kim at 12 pm. "Gender and Los Angeles Residential Water: Use, Knowledge, and Justice in Water Conservation" Lunch provided. RSVP below.

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Greg Pierce @gregspierce.bsky.social · 14/02/2025

Perhaps the last thing backing off water conservation devices standards will do is lower the cost of living.

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Greg Pierce @gregspierce.bsky.social · 14/02/2025

Just another disconcerting perception finding to take you into the weekend via @politico.com climate newsletter

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Greg Pierce @gregspierce.bsky.social · 12/02/2025

Another great story on wildfire impacts on Mobile Home Parks in LA below in @calmatters.org If you think this is a niche issue... a full 33% ($25m) of initial estimated damage to LADWP infrastructure prepared for FEMA was for distribution system damages in a MHP in the Palisades fire.

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Greg Pierce @gregspierce.bsky.social · 05/02/2025

If in the LA area on March 4, check out our @uclawater.bsky.social seminar featuring Professor Jessica Cattelino and doctoral candidate Kelsey Kim at 12 pm. "Gender and Los Angeles Residential Water: Use, Knowledge, and Justice in Water Conservation" Lunch provided. RSVP below.

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Greg Pierce @gregspierce.bsky.social · 30/01/2025

I'm that normal tourist at Penn State University taking pictures of their 2017 water tower. You know why it was replaced? "The university needed to replace the old water tower in order to meet regulations for water quality and quantity."

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Greg Pierce @gregspierce.bsky.social · 30/01/2025

Great start to the workshop hearing from @krisebi.bsky.social on how “Climate Changes Health”

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Greg Pierce @gregspierce.bsky.social · 23/01/2025

We have so much we need to learn on the basics of financing of water supply related to firefighting, financing of fire protection services itself, and the interaction between the two One tiny (and agnostic) example but is illustrative from LA: the Public Water Agencies Group

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Greg Pierce @gregspierce.bsky.social · 23/01/2025

Grateful to @zacharylamb.bsky.social for coming down to UCLA and sharing his work on manufactured housing communities and climate adaptation to a full room of Urban Planning folks

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Greg Pierce @gregspierce.bsky.social · 19/01/2025

2. PSA if the ~10 other valid arguments don’t work for you, some crude visual evidence that even when you have water reservoirs nearby (in this case literally next-door), it doesnt mean that you easily “stop” a wildfire (Thompson wildfire at Oroville Dam 2024; And similar with Camp Fire in 2018)

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