South Lahontan

Recharge Net Metering to Enhance Groundwater Sustainability

University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley) | April 2nd, 2018

Groundwater sustainability depends on balancing aquifer inflows and outflows. Extraction (pumping of groundwater, typically for human use) and recharge (inflow of

Groundwater sustainability depends on balancing aquifer inflows and outflows. Extraction (pumping of groundwater, typically for human use) and recharge (inflow of water to an aquifer from the land surface and streams) are central components of this water balance. Often, increasing demands for groundwater are exacer- bated by stresses on limited surface water supplies. Changes in land use and shifting climate can result in less infiltration of precipitation into the ground, reducing recharge. Increasing water scarcity has led to increased pumping, and in turn, unsustainable management of groundwater in many basins, resulting in depleted supplies, degraded water quality, and other impacts.

Recommendations to the State Water Resources Control Board Pursuant to California Water Code Section 10609

California Department of Water Resources (DWR) | September 29th, 2022

The Department of Water Resources (DWR) is pleased to provide the following recommendations developed in response to the 2018 Legislation (Senate Bill 606 [Hertzberg] and

The Department of Water Resources (DWR) is pleased to provide the following recommendations developed in response to the 2018 Legislation (Senate Bill 606 [Hertzberg] and Assembly Bill 1668 [Friedman]) enacted in support of “Making Water Conservation a California Way of Life.” The Legislation included provisions for advancing urban water use efficiency through developing and implementing various water use efficiency standards, variances for unique uses of water, and commercial, industrial, and institutional (CII) performance measures, among other requirements. Full reports detailing our methods, technical analyses, studies, public input, and recommendations will follow. These recommendations for long-term urban water use efficiency reflect technical considerations, public input, and the imperative to continue California’s progress in urban efficient use of water for future generations. If adopted DWR's recommendations on outdoor residential and CII water use on landscapes with dedicated irrigation meters, combined with the indoor residential water use standard recommendations submitted to the Legislature jointly by DWR and State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board), pursuant to Water Code 10609.4 (b)(1), would result in expected long-term water savings of approximately 450,000 acre-feet per year starting in 2030 – considering 2019 population and 2017-2019 water use data, the water savings are enough to supply about 1.6 million homes or 4.7 million residents for both indoor and outdoor annual water needs.

Reconstructing the Mediaeval low stands of Mono Lake, Sierra Nevada, California, USA

Holocene (Sage Journals) | December 1st, 2019

Palaeosimulations of Mono Lake covering the past 2 kyr have been conducted using a water balance model forced with tree-ring derived inflow estimates. The results show tw

Palaeosimulations of Mono Lake covering the past 2 kyr have been conducted using a water balance model forced with tree-ring derived inflow estimates. The results show two low stands, during the ninth to tenth and twelfth to thirteenth centuries, that agree well in timing and magnitude with those described by Stine (1987, 1990, 1994) on the basis of geomorphic evidence and relict trees and shrubs exposed on Mono Lake's artificially exposed shorelands. The lake simulation provides independent corroboration of the timing and magnitude of Stine's drought-induced low stands and supports the accuracy of tree-ring-derived estimates of Mediaeval precipitation and runoff reductions in the central Sierra Nevada. Specifically, we estimate that during the two Mediaeval droughts, centennial average precipitation and river runoff in the central Sierra Nevada reached as low as 75% of the twentieth century values, with multidecade averages as low as 60—65%. In both magnitude and duration, these droughts far exceed anything experienced in the region during modern times. An analysis of the spatial patterns of reconstructed drought indices shows that the particular `two drought' Mono Lake low stand signal was focused over central and southern California, indicating the dominant role of boreal winter precipitation deficits. In this respect, the `Great Sierra Nevada droughts' were somewhat distinct from the more general Great Basin/far western Plains pattern of Mediaeval aridity over the western USA.

Regional Ground-Water Evapotranspiration and Ground-Water Budgets, Great Basin, Nevada

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) | July 1st, 2000

Regional water table (1994) and water-level changes in the Morongo Basin, San Bernardino County, California

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) | July 1st, 1995

The Morongo Basin is in the Mojave Desert region of southern California, about 100 mi east of Los Angeles. Ground water is virtually the sole source of water in the Moro

The Morongo Basin is in the Mojave Desert region of southern California, about 100 mi east of Los Angeles. Ground water is virtually the sole source of water in the Morongo Basin. Increased pumping to meet the needs of an increasing resident population has resulted in ground-water overdraft in parts of the ground-water basin. Most of the water resources of the basin are managed by the Mojave Water Agency (MWA) and the U.S. Marine Corps Air/Ground Combat Center at Twentynine Palms (USMCAGCC). To help manage the ground-water resources, the MWA and the U.S. Marine Corps, Department of the Navy, requested the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to construct a regional water-table map of the Morongo ground-water basin. The purposes of this study were to construct a regional water-table map and determine areas of water-level change in the Morongo Basin. Existing data were evaluated and water levels were measured in selected wells throughout the Morongo Basin. Water-level measurements were used to construct a regional water-table map for 1994 conditions (fig. 1), and available historical water levels were used to construct hydrographs (shown in fig. 1) and determine water-level change at selected wells. Results of this study will aid the USGS in evaluating its current ground-water monitoring network in the Morongo Basin. In addition, information gained through this study will contribute to ongoing projects in the area, such as the Regional Aquifer-System Analysis (RASA) of Southern California.

Regional water table (1996) and water-level changes in the Mojave River, Morongo, and Fort Irwin ground-water basins, San Bernardino County

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) | July 1st, 1997

Regional water table (1998) and ground-water-level changes in the Mojave River and the Morongo ground-water basins, San Bernardino County, California

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) | July 1st, 2000

Regional Water Table (2000) and Ground-Water-Level Changes in the Mojave River and the Morongo Ground-Water Basins, Southwestern Mojave Desert, California

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) | July 1st, 2003

Regional water table (2002) and water-level changes in the Mojave River and the Morongo ground-water basins, Southwestern Mojave Desert, California

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) | July 1st, 2004

Regional Water Table (2004) and water-level changes in the Mojave River and Morongo ground-water basins, southwestern Mojave Desert, California

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) | July 1st, 2004