Central Coast

The Central Coast region extends from southern San Mateo County down to Santa Barbara in the south and includes redwood forests, foggy coastal terraces, chapparal-covered hills, green valley floors, and semi-arid grasslands. Agriculture and viticulture thrive here with the temperate climate, rich soils, and moderate rainfall, and is central to the economy of this region. The Central Coast region is the most groundwater-dependent region in the state with groundwater being used to meet approximately 80% of agricultural, municipal, and domestic water demands.

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Projected responses of the coastal water table for California using present-day and future sea-level rise scenarios

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) | August 11th, 2020

Summary

Coastal groundwater levels (heads) can increase with sea level rise (SLR) where shallow groundwater floats on underlying seawater. In some areas coastal groundwater could

Coastal groundwater levels (heads) can increase with sea level rise (SLR) where shallow groundwater floats on underlying seawater. In some areas coastal groundwater could rise almost as much as SLR, but where rising groundwater intersects surface drainage features, the increase will be less. Numerical modeling can provide insight into coastal areas that may be more or less vulnerable to hazards associated with SLR-driven groundwater shoaling (moving closer to the ground surface) and emergence (flooding the ground surface), providing coastal planners with critical information that can be used to increase public safety, mitigate physical damages, and more effectively manage and allocate resources in complex coastal settings. Seamless unconfined groundwater heads for coastal California groundwater systems were modeled with homogeneous, steady-state MODFLOW simulations. The geographic extent examined was limited primarily to low-elevation (land surface less than approximately 10 m above mean sea level) areas. In areas where coastal elevations increase rapidly (e.g., bluff stretches), the model boundary was set approximately 1 kilometer inland of the present-day shoreline. Steady-state MODFLOW groundwater flow models were used to obtain detailed (10-meter-scale) predictions over large geographic scales (100s of kilometers) of groundwater heads for both current and future sea-level rise (SLR) scenarios (0 to 2 meters (m) in 0.25 m increments, 2.5 m, 3 m, and 5 m) using a range of horizontal hydraulic conductivity (Kh) scenarios (0.1, 1, and 10 m/day). For each SLR/Kh combination, results are provided for two marine boundary conditions; local mean sea level (LMSL) and mean higher-high water (MHHW), and for two model versions. In the first model version, groundwater reaching the land surface is removed from the model, simulating loss via natural drainage. In the second model version, SLR impacts are modeled by simply raising the present-day (SLR 0m) modeled groundwater head by the amount of sea-level rise, simulating the worst-case "linear" response to sea-level rise. Modeled groundwater heads were then subtracted from high-resolution topographic digital elevation model (DEM) data to obtain water table depths. Groundwater head and water table depths are presented in raster GeoTIFF format. Polygon shapefiles also present water table depths by depth range (emergent, 0 to 1, 1 to 2, 2 to 5, and greater than 5 meters depth). All results are presented by County.

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Projected U.S. drought extremes through the twenty-first century with vapor pressure deficit

Nature Portfolio (Springer Nature) | May 21st, 2022

Summary

Global warming is expected to enhance drought extremes in the United States throughout the twenty-first century. Projecting these changes can be complex in regions with

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Public Draft Groundwater Sustainability Plan for the Santa Ynez River Valley Groundwater Basin, Western Management Area

Western Management Area Groundwater Sustainability Agency | September 1st, 2021

Summary

This Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP) is prepared in accordance with the 2014 Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) and covers the Western Management Area (W

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Public Review Draft Report to the Legislature on the Results of the Indoor Residential Water Use Study

Publisher not available | May 11th, 2021

Summary

Water planning has always been important for urban retail water suppliers (Suppliers) but is even more critical today, as development progresses and California grapples w

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Pure Water Soquel Groundwater Model Simulation Results

Soquel Creek Water District | June 22nd, 2018

Summary

This technical memorandum discusses model simulation groundwater levels, groundwater budget, and particle tracking results to support the Environmental Impact Rep

This technical memorandum discusses model simulation groundwater levels, groundwater budget, and particle tracking results to support the Environmental Impact Report of the Pure Water Soquel project involving replenishment of advanced purified recycled water within Soquel Creek Water District’s (SqCWD’s) service area. Six model simulations have been run using the calibrated GSFLOW model for the Santa Cruz Mid- County Basin (the Basin) where SqCWD’s service area is located. These simulations have different pumping and active replenishment distributions, as follows: Two Projected Existing Conditions (No Project) simulations with SqCWD’spumping distribution reflecting future demand without additional replenishment at proposed recharge wells. Two Project simulations with SqCWD’s pumping distribution reflecting future demand and pumping re-distribution with the addition of replenishment at the Monterey and Cabrillo College Dr. sites (referred to as the Cabrillo-Monterey simulations). These simulations also represent potential replenishment at the Twin Lakes Church site instead of one of the two Cabrillo College Dr. sites. The Twin Lakes Church site is approximately 500-750 feet to the west of the Cabrillo College Dr. sites. Two Project simulations with the same pumping distribution as the Cabrillo- Monterey simulations, but with replenishment at the Monterey and Willowbrook sites (referred to as the Monterey-Willowbrook simulations).Simulation groundwater levels are evaluated for the following effects: Comparison of groundwater levels at coastal monitoring wells to protective elevations estimated to prevent seawater intrusion from further occurring in groundwater supply aquifers. Groundwater levels in the recharge wells to assess whether model results are consistent with estimated capacities for the well, recognizing that site specific testing will be needed to confirm recharge well capacities. Groundwater levels at nearby wells to evaluate effects on operation of those municipal, private, and institutional wells.Simulation groundwater budgets are evaluated for following effects: • Flows entering and leaving the Basin, including flows to and from groundwater in storage and flows offshore to prevent seawater intrusion. • Flows between groundwater and surface water. This memo does not include results for a Cumulative simulation. Information from the City of Santa Cruz to define its Aquifer Storage and Recovery project to be cumulative with Pure Water Soquel is not available or developed at this time. This memo includes results from particle tracking based on the above simulations performed to support the Salt and Nutrient Anti-degradation Study and permitting of the recharge wells. This involves particle tracking of simulated purified, replenishment water to evaluate the fate of the water as it travels in subsurface aquifers. Particle tracking is also used to evaluate travel times of purified, replenishment water, which requires refined analysis near the recharge wells. A scope to superimpose analytic element solutions for recharge and nearby extraction wells onto GSFLOW results to facilitate travel time calculations was approved by SqCWD Board December 18, 2017 and results should be forthcoming in July 2018.

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Putting Adaptive Management into Practice: Incorporating Quantitative Metrics into Sustainable Groundwater Management

Stanford University | March 4th, 2019

Summary

Groundwater is a critical resource in California, serving as a reserve during droughts that are expected to be increasingly frequent and severe as climate change progres

Groundwater is a critical resource in California, serving as a reserve during droughts that are expected to be increasingly frequent and severe as climate change progresses. Adaptive management – revising management practices based on monitoring of progress toward pre-established quantitative metrics of performance – is widely viewed as an effective approach to managing water and other natural resources under conditions of uncertainty. However, linking performance metrics effectively with decision-making processes is often challenging, requiring careful consideration of institutional factors that may limit an agency’s ability to act based on new information. Governance arrangements that enable adaptive management must balance the need for flexibility as conditions change with a preference among water users for stable rules. The Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) of 2014 – California’s first statewide framework for managing groundwater – incorporates many elements of adaptive management, including requirements to manage groundwater according to quantitative metrics of performance. Under regulations guiding the development of Groundwater Sustainability Plans (GSPs), newly formed Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSAs) must define measurable objectives, minimum thresholds and interim milestones to eliminate six “undesirable results” by 2040 or 2042, depending upon the basin. Yet, the creation of these metrics alone will be insufficient to achieve sustainable management of California’s groundwater; institutional arrangements must support their use to guide management actions. To provide insight into the design and use of metrics as guides to decision-making, this report draws upon the experiences of four special act districts that had authority to manage groundwater prior to SGMA. These include two primarily urban water agencies, Santa Clara Valley Water District (SCVWD) and Zone 7 Water Agency (Zone 7) and two agencies with significant pumping for agricultural use, Fox Canyon Groundwater Management Agency (FCGMA) and Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency (PVWMA). This report analyzes how these agencies used quantitative metrics in their groundwater management plans prior to SGMA and identifies institutional factors that constrained or enabled the adjustment of management actions in response to changing conditions during the 2012-2016 drought. Although the metrics employed by these agencies differ from those required under GSP regulations, these agencies’ experiences still offer important insights for GSAs seeking to develop metrics and integrate them into decision making.

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Quality of groundwater used for domestic supply in the Gilroy-Hollister basin and surrounding areas, California, 2022

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) | December 1st, 2025

Summary

More than 2 million Californians rely on groundwater from domestic wells for drinking-water supply. This report summarizes a 2022 California Groundwater Ambient Monitorin

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Quantifying the Relationship Between Atmospheric River Origin Conditions and Landfall Temperature

American Geophysical Union (AGU) | October 11th, 2022

Summary

The temperature of landfalling atmospheric rivers (ARs) has direct implications for regional water resources. Compared to cool ARs, warm ARs can result in more surface ru

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Rapid decline of California’s native inland fishes: a status assessment

University of California, Davis (UC Davis) | November 1st, 2010

Summary

Degradation of freshwater ecosystems is a global crisis best understood through intensive study of well-studied regional faunas. A quantitative protocol was used

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Recent and Forecasted Increases in Coccidioidomycosis Incidence Linked to Hydroclimatic Swings, California, USA

U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) | March 4th, 2025

Summary

Incidence of coccidioidomycosis, an emerging infectious disease caused by Coccidioides spp. fungi, has increased dramatically since 2000. In 2023, California, USA, report

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Central Coast

Projected responses of the coastal water table for California using present-day and future sea-level rise scenarios

Projected U.S. drought extremes through the twenty-first century with vapor pressure deficit

Public Draft Groundwater Sustainability Plan for the Santa Ynez River Valley Groundwater Basin, Western Management Area

Public Review Draft Report to the Legislature on the Results of the Indoor Residential Water Use Study

Pure Water Soquel Groundwater Model Simulation Results

Putting Adaptive Management into Practice: Incorporating Quantitative Metrics into Sustainable Groundwater Management

Quality of groundwater used for domestic supply in the Gilroy-Hollister basin and surrounding areas, California, 2022

Quantifying the Relationship Between Atmospheric River Origin Conditions and Landfall Temperature

Rapid decline of California’s native inland fishes: a status assessment

Recent and Forecasted Increases in Coccidioidomycosis Incidence Linked to Hydroclimatic Swings, California, USA

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