Westside Subbasin Groundwater Sustainability Plan (Clarified and Amended GSP)

Westlands Water District | July 18th, 2022

Due to size, this file has been divided into 11 parts. Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11

Due to size, this file has been divided into 11 parts. Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11

When Decentralization Fails: Governance and Inequity in California’s Drinking Water System

Western Political Science Association | April 4th, 2019

In the United States, there are more than 151,000 drinking water systems which operate at a variety of decision-making scales and under various governance and own

In the United States, there are more than 151,000 drinking water systems which operate at a variety of decision-making scales and under various governance and ownership structures (US EPA, 2015). This extreme level of decentralization and fragmentation may allow for local control and flexibility, but it has not guaranteed safe drinking water for all (Hughes & Mullin, 2017; Pannu, 2012). In California alone, there are more than a million people each year receiving unsafe drinking-water. To further our understanding of how system governance contributes to these drinking water disparities, we compile and analyze a novel dataset including all 2,886 of California’s active Community Water Systems and their health-based Safe Drinking Water Act violations (2012-2018) in order to answer two important questions: 1) how is California drinking water governance organized at the system level? 2) Do certain types of governance structures out-perform or under-perform compared to others? We find that while control variables such as population size remain most determinative of system performance, there are significant differences in SDWA compliance between distinct governance arrangements. These findings highlight the important role that governance, in its broader conception, plays in contributing to SDWA noncompliance and leads us to argue that determining the role of governance in creating disparities, therefore, is an important prerequisite to understanding how different arrangement might best address them.

When is Groundwater Recharge a Beneficial Use of Surface Water?

University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley) | August 1st, 2018

Any diversion and use of surface water in California requires a water right. Today, to receive a new water right permit, an entity that wants to appropriate surface water

Any diversion and use of surface water in California requires a water right. Today, to receive a new water right permit, an entity that wants to appropriate surface water must file an application with the Board. The Board may only approve an application if it determines that the proposed use of the water is for a reasonable and beneficial purpose. Currently, there is uncertainty about whether—and, if so, under what circumstances—the Board will consider groundwater recharge to be a beneficial use of water. California law makes clear that the act of recharging groundwater, alone, is not a beneficial use of water. Instead, the specific purpose of the recharge is key.

Widespread and increased drilling of wells into fossil aquifers in the USA

Nature Portfolio (Springer Nature) | April 19th, 2022

Most stored groundwater is ‘fossil’ in its age, having been under the ground for more than ~12 thousand years. Mapping where wells tap fossil aquifers is relevant for

Most stored groundwater is ‘fossil’ in its age, having been under the ground for more than ~12 thousand years. Mapping where wells tap fossil aquifers is relevant for water quality and quantity management. Nevertheless, the prevalence of wells that tap fossil aquifers is not known. Here we show that wells that are sufficiently deep to tap fossil aquifers are widespread, though they remain outnumbered by shallower wells in most areas. Moreover, the proportion of newly drilled wells that are deep enough to tap fossil aquifers has increased over recent decades. However, this widespread and increased drilling of wells into fossil aquifers is not necessarily associated with groundwater depletion, emphasizing that the presence of fossil groundwater does not necessarily indicate a non-renewable water supply. Our results highlight the importance of safeguarding fossil groundwater quality and quantity to meet present and future water demands.

Widespread aquifer depressurization after a century of intensive groundwater use in USA

American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) | September 15th, 2023

Widespread potential loss of streamflow into underlying aquifers across the USA

Nature Portfolio (Springer Nature) | March 17th, 2021

Most rivers exchange water with surrounding aquifers. Where groundwater levels lie below nearby streams, streamwater can infiltrate through the streambed, reducing stream

Most rivers exchange water with surrounding aquifers. Where groundwater levels lie below nearby streams, streamwater can infiltrate through the streambed, reducing streamflow and recharging the aquifer. These ‘losing’ streams have important implications for water availability, riparian ecosystems and environmental flows, but the prevalence of losing streams remains poorly constrained by continent-wide in situ observations. Here we analyse water levels in 4.2 million wells across the contiguous USA and show that nearly two-thirds (64 per cent) of them lie below nearby stream surfaces, implying that these streamwaters will seep into the subsurface if it is sufficiently permeable. A lack of adequate permeability data prevents us from quantifying the magnitudes of these subsurface flows, but our analysis nonetheless demonstrates widespread potential for streamwater losses into underlying aquifers. These potentially losing rivers are more common in drier climates, flatter landscapes and regions with extensive groundwater pumping. Our results thus imply that climatic factors, geological conditions and historic groundwater pumping jointly contribute to the widespread risk of streams losing flow into surrounding aquifers instead of gaining flow from them. Recent modelling studies have suggested that losing streams could become common in future decades, but our direct observations show that many rivers across the USA are already potentially losing flow, highlighting the importance of coordinating groundwater and surface water policy.

Wright et al v. Goleta Water District

Superior Court of California, County of Santa Barbara | November 17th, 1989

Wyandotte Creek Groundwater Subbasin Groundwater Sustainability Plan

Wyandotte Creek Groundwater Sustainability Agency | December 15th, 2021

The Wyandotte Creek Subbasin lies in the eastern central portion of the Sacramento Groundwater Basin. It is bounded on the west by the Feather River and Thermalito After

The Wyandotte Creek Subbasin lies in the eastern central portion of the Sacramento Groundwater Basin. It is bounded on the west by the Feather River and Thermalito Afterbay; in the south by the Butte-Yuba County line (except for Ramirez Water District which is fully within the North Yuba Subbasin); and on the north and east by the edge of the alluvial basin as defined by DWR Bulletin 118 - Update 2003 (DWR, 2003). It is surrounded by the Butte Subbasin to the west, the Wyandotte Creek Subbasin to the north, the North Yuba Subbasin to the south and the foothills to the east (Figure ES-2). The lateral boundaries of the Wyandotte Creek Subbasin are jurisdictional in nature, and it is recognized that groundwater flows across each of the defined boundaries to some degree.

Yolo Subbasin Groundwater Agency 2022 Groundwater Sustainability Plan

Yolo Subbasin Groundwater Agency | January 24th, 2022

Yolo Subbasin Groundwater Agency's implementation of the GSP will begin in 2022 after adoption and official submission of the plan to the Department of Water Resources. T

Yolo Subbasin Groundwater Agency's implementation of the GSP will begin in 2022 after adoption and official submission of the plan to the Department of Water Resources. The YSGA intends to form Advisory Committees for each Management Area to construct a framework for on-the-ground implementation of the plan. These Advisory Committees will provide a forum for collaboration of YSGA members and stakeholders to facilitate an adaptive response to local issues and to develop the roadmap for successful plan implementation. The Advisory Committees will provide a timely response to minimum threshold exceedances or other identified concerns and prioritize local implementation of projects and management actions. Advisory Committees will be comprised of an equal representation of stakeholders, including agricultural, urban, and environmental representatives. These local committees will provide an opportunity for information sharing, innovation, and the collaborative development of adaptive management practices. Updates from the Management Area Advisory Committees, progress of project implementation, and other YSGA activities will be posted regularly on the YSGA website and will be published in an annual newsletter. This is just the beginning of ensuring sustainable management of groundwater resources in the Yolo Subbasin. The GSP is considered a living document that will be adaptively managed as we continue to use the best available science and tools to complete ground surveys and access credible and sufficient data for making effective decisions. The YSGA and the stakeholders in the Subbasin are committed to an open, transparent, and all-inclusive process to resolve important local issues related to groundwater. This is an exciting opportunity to work together to preserve this valuable community resource and ensure the well-being of Yolo County. Due to size, the GSP file has been divided into four parts. Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4

Yuba Subbasins Water Management Plan: A Groundwater Sustainability Plan

Yuba Water Agency | December 27th, 2019