South Lahontan

Statement of Findings regarding the Approval of the Indian Wells Valley Basin Groundwater Sustainability Plan

California Department of Water Resources (DWR) | January 13th, 2022

Statistical Clustering of Major Solutes: Use as a Tracer for Evaluating Interbasin Groundwater Flow into Indian Wells Valley, California

Geological Society of America (GSA) | February 9th, 2006

Many previous studies have demonstrated use of specific solutes or isotopes as tracers of groundwater flow. We present a technique that uses standard hydrochemical inform

Many previous studies have demonstrated use of specific solutes or isotopes as tracers of groundwater flow. We present a technique that uses standard hydrochemical information to create statistically based hydrochemical facies, which are then used as tracers of groundwater flow. This approach reduces potential subjective bias during interpretation of single tracer data in complex systems with multiple sources or conflicting multiple tracer data. Standard hydrochemical data from 1,368 water samples that spanned more than 80 years were analyzed using cluster analysis to decipher groundwater flow paths in Indian Wells Valley (IWV), California. The statistically derived hydrochemical facies form distinct spatial patterns in which all major-ion concentrations increase progressively from Sierra Nevada (recharge) to China Lake playa (discharge), consistent with the topographically driven flow of groundwater (the typical case for basin and range flow systems). However, once individual samples could be placed in the context of the normal hydrochemical evolution, anomalies are readily identifiable. The distribution of water chemistry in the southeastern part of the IWV does not conform to the regional trend. Groundwater from that part of the IWV is statistically more similar to waters from the Kern Plateau area (in the high Sierra Nevada outside the local watershed) than to waters from the local watershed. The groundwater is interpreted to originate from the fracture-directed interbasin flow from the Kern Plateau area that is directly recharging the alluvial aquifer in the subsurface. Inclusion of this flow could substantially alter current water budgets and water resources management approaches.

Status and Understanding of Groundwater Quality in the Mojave Basin Domestic-Supply Aquifer Study Unit, 2018: California GAMA Priority Basin Project

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) | May 15th, 2024

Groundwater quality in the western part of the Mojave Desert in San Bernardino County, California, was investigated in 2018 as part of the California State Water Resource

Groundwater quality in the western part of the Mojave Desert in San Bernardino County, California, was investigated in 2018 as part of the California State Water Resources Control Board Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment Program Priority Basin Project. The Mojave Basin Domestic-Supply Aquifer study unit (MOBS) region was divided into two study areas—floodplain and regional—to assess differences between the two major aquifers used for drinking water supply in the area. This assessment characterized the quality of ambient groundwater and not the quality of treated drinking water.

Status of 2020 Agricultural Water Management Plans and Implementation of Efficient Water Management Practices Report

California Department of Water Resources (DWR) | January 25th, 2024

As required by the California Water Code (CWC), Agricultural Water Suppliers (AWS) must implement Efficient Water Management Practices (EWMPs) and submit an Agricultural

As required by the California Water Code (CWC), Agricultural Water Suppliers (AWS) must implement Efficient Water Management Practices (EWMPs) and submit an Agricultural Water Management Plan (AWMP) to the Department of Water Resources (DWR) every five years. Agricultural Water Suppliers subject to United States Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) requirements for a Water Conservation Plan (Reclamation Plan) may submit those plans to DWR in lieu of an AWMP. DWR then reports to the Legislature on the status of AWMPs, including outstanding elements, and implementation of EWMPs or Reclamation Best Management Practices (EWMPs/BMPs). This legislative report addresses the requirements for reporting on AWMPs and EWMPs in a single report that documents the status of AWMP submittals and the implementation of associated EWMPs. This report is the final Legislative report on EWMPs under CWC Section 10608.48(g).

Status of 2020 Urban Water Management Plans

California Department of Water Resources (DWR) | July 25th, 2023

As required by the California Water Code (CWC), every five years Urban Water Suppliers must submit an Urban Water Management Plan (UWMP) to the Department of Water Resour

As required by the California Water Code (CWC), every five years Urban Water Suppliers must submit an Urban Water Management Plan (UWMP) to the Department of Water Resources (DWR). DWR then reports to the Legislature on the status of UWMPs and Water Shortage Contingency Plans (WSCPs) and exemplary elements. Key Findings: * 95% (417 of 438) of Urban Water Suppliers submitted plans. * 97% (374 of 386) of Urban Retail Suppliers that submitted UWMPs met their water use reduction targets. * Statewide per capita urban water use was down 32% by 2020 from baseline period (suppliers identify a continuous 10-year or 15-year baseline period between 1995 and 2010). * 94% (393 of 417) of Urban Water Suppliers anticipate being able to manage any water shortages by implementing their Water Shortage Contingency Plans.

Status of Groundwater Quality in the California Desert Region, 2006–2008: California GAMA Priority Basin Project

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) | January 9th, 2013

Groundwater quality in six areas in the California Desert Region (Owens, Antelope, Mojave, Coachella, Colorado River, and Indian Wells) was investigated as part

Groundwater quality in six areas in the California Desert Region (Owens, Antelope, Mojave, Coachella, Colorado River, and Indian Wells) was investigated as part of the Priority Basin Project of the Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) Program. The GAMA Priority Basin Project is being conducted by the California State Water Resources Control Board in collaboration with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. The six Desert studies were designed to provide a spatially unbiased assessment of the quality of untreated groundwater in parts of the Desert and the Basin and Range hydrogeologic provinces, as well as a statistically consistent basis for comparing groundwater quality to other areas in California and across the Nation. Samples were collected by the USGS from September 2006 through April 2008 from 253 wells in Imperial, Inyo, Kern, Los Angeles, Mono, Riverside, and San Bernardino Counties. Two-hundred wells were selected using a spatially distributed, randomized grid-based method to provide a spatially unbiased representation of the study areas (grid wells), and ffty-three wells were sampled to provide additional insight into groundwater conditions (additional wells). The status of the current quality of the groundwater resource was assessed based on data from samples analyzed for volatile organic compounds (VOCs), pesticides, and inorganic constituents such as major ions and trace elements. Water-quality data from the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) database also were incorporated in the assessment. The status assessment is intended to characterize the quality of untreated groundwater resources within the primary aquifer systems of the Desert Region, not the treated drinking water delivered to consumers by water purveyors. The primary aquifer systems (hereinafter, primary aquifers) in the six Desert areas are defined as that part of the aquifer corresponding to the perforation intervals of wells listed in the CDPH database.

Stipulated Agreement: Department of Water and Power of the City of Los Angeles vs. Board of Supervisors of the County of Inyo et al

Superior Court of California, County of Inyo | October 21st, 1991

Storing and managing water for the environment is more efficient than mimicking natural flows

Nature Portfolio (Springer Nature) | June 27th, 2024

Strategic stream gauging network design for sustainable water management

Nature Portfolio (Springer Nature) | June 3rd, 2024

Stream gauging stations that monitor the flow of water in rivers and streams provide critical information to water managers, but biases and gaps in gauge placement, compo

Stream gauging stations that monitor the flow of water in rivers and streams provide critical information to water managers, but biases and gaps in gauge placement, compounded by gauge deactivations, limit our ability to track river flows and address global water challenges. Here we introduce an approach for identifying gauging sites to efficiently fill gaps in monitoring coverage within river networks while also addressing water management priorities, including reservoir operations, biodiversity conservation and hydroclimatic monitoring. Applying this approach to gauges in California, United States, we found substantial gaps in the stream monitoring network. Hypothetically reconfiguring gauges to locations that maximize coverage and representation of management objectives highlights the current network’s biases. Through the strategic reactivation and placement of additional gauges, we demonstrate how stream gauging networks can be designed to support sustainable water management.

Studies of Geology and Hydrology in the Basin and Range Province, Southwestern United States, For Isolation of High-Level Radioactive Waste Characterization of the Sonoran Region, California

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) | July 15th, 1989

A study by the U.S. Geological Survey to evaluate potential hydrogeologic environments for isolation of high-level radioactive waste in the Basin and Range physiographic

A study by the U.S. Geological Survey to evaluate potential hydrogeologic environments for isolation of high-level radioactive waste in the Basin and Range physiographic province of the southwestern United States was begun in May 1981, with the introduction of the study to the Governors of eight Basin and Range States Arizona, California, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, and Utah and to respective Indian tribes in those States. Accordingly, these States were invited to participate in the study by designating an earth scientist to serve on a Province Working Group with the U.S. Geological Survey membership of the working group is shown following the title page. State representatives have provided consultation in selecting guidelines, assembling geologic and hydrologic data, and assessing such information to identify environments that meet the guidelines for further study.