Santa Cruz Mid‐County Basin Groundwater Management Biennial Review and Report Water Years 2015‐2016

Santa Cruz Mid‐County Groundwater Agency | July 18th, 2017

Long‐term overdraft of the basin has led to ongoing risk of seawater intrusion. As a result of long‐term recovery and an acceleration of recovery over the las

Long‐term overdraft of the basin has led to ongoing risk of seawater intrusion. As a result of long‐term recovery and an acceleration of recovery over the last two years, average groundwater levels in Water Year 2016 met the established protective elevations at the most monitoring wells since the wells were installed. Average groundwater levels in Water Year 2016 met established protective elevations at 8 of 13 of the wells. Since five wells have average groundwater levels below established protective elevations, full basin recovery has not been achieved and the basin is still considered in long‐term overdraft. (Figure ES‐ 1). Recovery of the basin and overdraft will be eliminated when coastal groundwater levels rise to protective elevations at all coastal wells. The MGA will also need to reevaluate the established protective elevations for the GSP.

Santa Margarita Groundwater Agency Groundwater Sustainability Plan

Santa Margarita Groundwater Agency | November 17th, 2021

The plan provides the basis for ongoing management of the Basin by SMGWA to both achieve sustainability in the 20-year planning horizon and maintain sustainability over t

The plan provides the basis for ongoing management of the Basin by SMGWA to both achieve sustainability in the 20-year planning horizon and maintain sustainability over the 50-year implementation horizon specified by SGMA. GSP approved by DWR 4/27/23

Santa Rosa Plain Groundwater Sustainability Plan

Santa Rosa Plain Groundwater Sustainability Agency | December 9th, 2021

Due to file size, this document is divided Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12

Due to file size, this document is divided Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12

Santa Ynez River Valley Groundwater Basin – Eastern Management Area Groundwater Sustainability Plan

Eastern Management Area Groundwater Sustainability Agency | January 6th, 2022

This GSP describes the EMA physical setting; presents historical, present, and future water budgets; develops quantifiable management objectives that account for the inte

This GSP describes the EMA physical setting; presents historical, present, and future water budgets; develops quantifiable management objectives that account for the interests of the EMA’s beneficial groundwater uses and users; and identifies a group of projects and management actions that will allow the EMA to maintain or achieve sustainability within 20 years of plan adoption. This document also includes the list of references and technical studies, documentation of the stakeholder engagement process used in the development of this plan, and several supporting appendices. The EMA GSA has taken many steps, starting with stakeholder engagement, to complete the GSP in accordance with the requirements of SGMA and related SGMA regulations.

Satellite observations indicate that chia uses less water than other crops in warm climates

Nature Portfolio (Springer Nature) | September 30th, 2024

Satellite-based monitoring of groundwater depletion in California’s Central Valley

Nature Portfolio (Springer Nature) | November 5th, 2019

Range change data, obtained from Synthetic Aperture Radar satellites, form the basis for estimates of aquifer volume change in california’s central Valley. th

Range change data, obtained from Synthetic Aperture Radar satellites, form the basis for estimates of aquifer volume change in california’s central Valley. the estimation algorithm incorporates a function penalizing changes far from known well locations, linking the aquifer volume changes to agricultural, industrial, and municipal pumping within the tulare basin. We show that the range changes are compatible with the hypothesis that the source of aquifer volume changes are variations in effective pressure around documented wells. Specifically, inclusion of the well distance penalty does not degrade the fit to the observations, inversions with and without it both give variance reductions of 99.6%. The patterns of aquifer volume change vary significantly from the drought year, between October 2015 and October 2016, to a wet year in 2017, and into 2018, a year with near average rainfall. The 2.3 million acre-feet of estimated volume reduction, a lower bound on the amount of water extracted from the basin between October 2015 and 2016, agrees with independent estimates of 1.8 and 2.3 million acre- feet. The aquifer volume reduction is also compatible with a loss of 3.1 km3 (2.5 million acre-feet) in groundwater volume derived from Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellite data.

Saving Water and Money through Toilet Leak Detection

Pacific Institute | April 1st, 2024

This report discusses a cross-sector pilot project that deployed toilet leak detection technology in eight affordable multifamily properties in Los Angeles, California in

This report discusses a cross-sector pilot project that deployed toilet leak detection technology in eight affordable multifamily properties in Los Angeles, California in 2023. Periodic droughts, and prolonged drying trends driven by climate change, are reducing the reliability of Los Angeles’ water supplies. Water efficiency and conservation are key strategies to ensure water resilience in the face of these changes.

SB-72 The California Water Plan: long-term supply targets

State of California | September 8th, 2025

Existing law requires the Department of Water Resources to update every 5 years the plan for the orderly and coordinated control, protection, conservation, development, a

Existing law requires the Department of Water Resources to update every 5 years the plan for the orderly and coordinated control, protection, conservation, development, and use of the water resources of the state, which is known as “The California Water Plan.” Existing law requires the department to include a discussion of various strategies in the plan update, including, but not limited to, strategies relating to the development of new water storage facilities, water conservation, water recycling, desalination, conjunctive use, and water transfers, that may be pursued in order to meet the future needs of the state. Existing law requires the department to establish an advisory committee to assist the department in updating the plan. This bill would revise and recast certain provisions regarding The California Water Plan to, among other things, require the department to expand the membership of the advisory committee to include, among others, tribes, labor, and environmental justice interests. The bill would require the department, as part of the 2033 update to the plan, to update the interim planning target for 2050, as provided. The bill would require the target to consider the identified and future water needs for all beneficial uses, including, but not limited to, urban uses, agricultural uses, tribal uses, and the environment, and ensure safe drinking water for all Californians, among other things. The bill would require the plan to include specified components, including a discussion of the estimated costs, benefits, and impacts of any project type or action that is recommended by the department within the plan that could help achieve the water supply targets. The bill would require the department to report to the Legislature the amendments, supplements, and additions included in the updates of the plan, together with a summary of the department’s conclusions and recommendations, in the session in which the updated plan is issued. The bill would also require the department to conduct public workshops to give interested parties an opportunity to comment on the plan.

Scaling protection and restoration of natural infrastructure to reduce flood impacts and enhance resilience

Shore & Beach (American Shore and Beach Preservation Association) | October 1st, 2019

Restoring natural infrastructure offers much promise as a means to reduce both flood hazard and exposure to complement and supplement other flood damage reduction

Restoring natural infrastructure offers much promise as a means to reduce both flood hazard and exposure to complement and supplement other flood damage reduction strategies. Interest increased in flood risk reduction methods using natural and nature- based features, in part, because of increased recognition that such could provide both flood risk reduction and other benefits, such as water quality uplift, community recreational space, and fish and wildlife habitat. Recent flood disasters and the rising costs of disaster response and recovery have triggered policy shifts toward economi- cally efficient investments that enhance greater community resilience. While natural infrastructure is becoming more widely recognized as a tactic for building community and ecological resilience to erosion and flooding, it remains underutilized. Actions to aid consideration of natural infrastructure and scale up its use are presented.

Scaling protection and restoration of natural infrastructure to reduce flood impacts and enhance resilience

Shore & Beach (American Shore and Beach Preservation Association) | January 10th, 2020

Restoring natural infrastructure offers much promise as a means to reduce both flood hazard and exposure to complement and supplement other flood damage reduction strat

Restoring natural infrastructure offers much promise as a means to reduce both flood hazard and exposure to complement and supplement other flood damage reduction strategies. Interest increased in flood risk reduction methods using natural and nature-based features, in part, because of increased recognition that such could provide both flood risk reduction and other benefits, such as water quality uplift, community recreational space, and fish and wildlife habitat. Recent flood disasters and the rising costs of disaster response and recovery have triggered policy shifts toward economically efficient investments that enhance greater community resilience. While natural infrastructure is becoming more widely recognized as a tactic for building community and ecological resilience to erosion and flooding, it remains underutilized. Actions to aid consideration of natural infrastructure and scale up its use are presented.