Merced River Watershed Flood-MAR Reconnaissance Study

California Department of Water Resources (DWR) | November 15th, 2023

DWR, in partnership with the Merced Irrigation District (MID), is conducting a preliminary study using flood waters for managed aquifer recharge that can reduce flood ris

DWR, in partnership with the Merced Irrigation District (MID), is conducting a preliminary study using flood waters for managed aquifer recharge that can reduce flood risk, increase surface and groundwater supply reliability, and enhance ecosystems in the Merced River Basin. This Merced River Reconnaissance Study (study) is exploring the potential, feasibility, and effectiveness of Flood-MAR concepts, testing theories, and assessing strategies in overcoming barriers and challenges to project planning and implementation. The study will assess current conditions of the Merced River watershed and the vulnerability of these watershed management characteristics to a range of potential climate change futures. The study will also describe the public and private benefits that may be achieved through Flood-MAR strategies and quantify a range of benefits that Flood-MAR could provide in or adjacent to the Merced River watershed.

Mitigating land subsidence in the Coachella Valley, California, USA: An emerging success story

International Association of Hydrological Sciences (IAHS) | April 22nd, 2020

Groundwater has been a major source of agricultural, municipal, and domestic water supply since the early 1920s in the Coachella Valley, California, USA. Land s

Groundwater has been a major source of agricultural, municipal, and domestic water supply since the early 1920s in the Coachella Valley, California, USA. Land subsidence, resulting from aquifer-system com- paction and groundwater-level declines, has been a concern of the Coachella Valley Water District (CVWD) since the mid-1990s. As a result, the CVWD has implemented several projects to address groundwater overdraft that fall under three categories – groundwater substitution, conservation, and managed aquifer-recharge (MAR). The implementation of three projects in particular – replacing groundwater extraction with surface water from the Colorado River and recycled water (Mid-Valley Pipeline project), reducing water usage by tiered-rate costs, and increasing groundwater recharge at the Thomas E. Levy Groundwater Replenishment Facility – are potentially linked to markedly improved groundwater levels and subsidence conditions, including in some of the historically most overdrafted areas in the southern Coachella Valley. Groundwater-level and subsidence monitoring have tracked the effect these projects have had on the aquifer system. Prior to about 2010, water levels persistently declined, and some had reached historically low levels by 2010. Since about 2010, however, groundwater levels have stabilized or partially recovered, and subsidence has stopped or slowed substantially almost every- where it previously had been observed; uplift was observed in some areas. Furthermore, results of Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar analyses for 1995–2017 indicate that as much as about 0.6 m of subsidence occurred; nearly all of which occurred prior to 2010. Continued monitoring of water levels and subsidence is necessary to inform the CVWD about future mitigation measures. The water management strategies implemented by the CVWD can inform managers of other overdrafted and subsidence-prone basins as they seek solutions to reduce overdraft and subsidence.

On-farm flood capture could reduce groundwater overdraft in Kings River Basin

California Agriculture (UCANR) | November 16th, 2016

Chronic groundwater overdraft threatens agricultural sustainability in California’s Central Valley. Diverting flood flows onto farmland for groundwater rechar

Chronic groundwater overdraft threatens agricultural sustainability in California’s Central Valley. Diverting flood flows onto farmland for groundwater recharge offers an opportunity to help address this challenge. We studied the infiltration rate of floodwater diverted from the Kings River at a turnout upstream of the James Weir onto adjoining cropland; and calculated how much land would be necessary to capture the available floodwater, how much recharge of groundwater might be achieved, and the costs. The 1,000-acre pilot study included fields growing tomatoes, wine grapes, alfalfa and pistachios. Flood flows diverted onto vineyards infiltrated at an average rate of 2.5 inches per day under sustained flooding. At that relatively high infiltration rate, 10 acres are needed to capture one CFS of diverted flood flow. We considered these findings in the context of regional expansion. Based upon a 30-year record of Kings Basin surplus flood flows, we estimate 30,000 acres operated for on-farm flood recharge would have had the capacity to capture 80% of available flood flows and potentially offset overdraft rates in the Kings Basin. Costs of on-farm flood capture for this study were estimated at $36 per acre-foot, less than the cost for surface water storage and dedicated recharge basins.

Potential for Using the Upper Coachella Valley Ground-Water Basin, California, for Storage of Artificially Recharged Water

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) | September 15th, 1980

The California Department of Water Resources, through the Future Water Supply Program, is investigating the use of ground-water basins for storage of State Wate

The California Department of Water Resources, through the Future Water Supply Program, is investigating the use of ground-water basins for storage of State Water Project water in order to help meet maximum annual entitlements to water project contractors. This report presents a preliminary evaluation of the geohydrologic fac- tors affecting storage of water by artificial recharge in the upper Coachella Valley, Calif. The ground-water basin of the upper Coachella Valley seems to be geologically suitable for large-scale artificial recharge. A minimum of 900,000 acre-feet of water could probably be stored in the basin without raising basinwide water levels above those that existed in 1945. Preliminary tests indicate that a long-term artificial recharge rate of 5 feet per day may be feasible for spreading grounds in the basin if such factors as sediment and bacterial clogging can be controlled.

Seaside Groundwater Basin Phase 1 Aquifer Storage and Recovery Project

Monterey Peninsula Water Management District (MPWMD) | October 24th, 2005

Selected Techniques for Monitoring Water Movement Through Unsaturated Alluvium During Managed Aquifer Recharge

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) | October 21st, 2016

Managed aquifer recharge is used to augment natural recharge to aquifers. It can be used to replenish aquifers depleted by pumping or to store water during wetter years f

Managed aquifer recharge is used to augment natural recharge to aquifers. It can be used to replenish aquifers depleted by pumping or to store water during wetter years for withdrawal during drier years. Infiltration from ponds is a commonly used, inexpensive approach for managed aquifer recharge. At some managed aquifer recharge sites, the time when infiltrated water arrives at the water table is not always clearly shown by water-level data (fig. 1). As part of site characterization and operation, it can be desirable to track downward movement of infiltrated water through the unsaturated zone to identify when it arrives at the water table.

Simulation of Ground-Water/Surface-Water Flow in the Santa Clara–Calleguas Ground-Water Basin, Ventura County, California

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) | July 15th, 2003

Ground-water is the main source of water in the Santa Clara–Calleguas ground-water basin that covers about 310 square miles in Ventura County, California. A steady incr

Ground-water is the main source of water in the Santa Clara–Calleguas ground-water basin that covers about 310 square miles in Ventura County, California. A steady increase in the demand for surface- and ground-water resources since the late 1800s has resulted in streamflow depletion and ground-water overdraft. This steady increase in water use has resulted in seawater intrusion, inter-aquifer flow, land subsidence, and ground-water contamination. 

Sustainable Water Management Strategy for Specialty Crop Expansion in the Sacramento Valley

Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG) | June 26th, 2018

The Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG) is an association of local governments in the six-county Sacramento Region of El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento, Sutter, Yo

The Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG) is an association of local governments in the six-county Sacramento Region of El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento, Sutter, Yolo, and Yuba counties (excluding the Tahoe Basin in Placer and El Dorado counties) and the 22 cities therein. SACOG provides planning and funding for the region and serves as a forum for the study and resolution of regional issues. SACOG prepares the region’s long range plan which considers both transportation and land use. Through the lens of rural planning, SACOG has actively engaged in a Rural-Urban Connections Strategy (RUCS) Program that has studied ways to enhance rural economies and natural assets. The RUCS Program includes a scenario analysis modeling tool that links a parcel-level crop map with environmental and economic factors, including a comprehensive profile of per acre operational cost and return metrics for each crop. The study described in this report looks at how new agricultural crops and markets coupled with improved irrigation techniques will support new specialty crop acreage in the SACOG area. While new and improved irrigation techniques can result in better crop yields and decreased water demands, increases in irrigation efficiency also result in reduced groundwater recharge from irrigation return flows. SACOG received grant funding from the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) to evaluate the feasibility of recharging groundwater on agricultural lands within the SACOG portion of the Sacramento Valley to benefit specialty crop production. The primary goal of the project is to bring together a broad range of different factors impacting groundwater recharge and infiltration and to identify areas across the region that are most suited for strategic flooding of specialty crop fields; in other words, areas that will most efficiently and effectively facilitate recharge, while minimizing cost to the specialty crop producer. Ultimately, this feasibility information will be incorporated into SACOG’s RUCS model to evaluate the potential benefits of recharging groundwater on agricultural land for the benefit of specialty crops.

UC groundwater research: A survey

California Agriculture (UCANR) | March 13th, 2018

As California implements the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), UC research is building knowledge and supporting innovation in groundwater recharge, groundwat

As California implements the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), UC research is building knowledge and supporting innovation in groundwater recharge, groundwater accounting, groundwater quality, groundwater governance and more. Here's a sample of work from across the UC system: whole watershed accounting; water availability for recharge; precision data on snowmelt; spatial data on well vulnerability; large scale groundwater recharge and agricultural systems; groundwater-surface water interactions; groundwater quality and salinity; water supply, land use and rural communities; data on water use and water rights; managed aquifer recharge on farmland; soil suitability for recharge; distributed stormwater collection; net metering for groundwater; geophysical imaging; groundwater governance; lessons on groundwater permitting from around the West; supporting Groundwater Sustainability Plan development; the economics of sustainable groundwater management; and considerations for groundwater markets.

Update on an Analysis of a Potential Groundwater Storage and Recovery Program in the Carpinteria Groundwater Basin

Montecito Water District (MWD) | March 11th, 2025