California Groundwater Conditions Update – Spring 2019

California Department of Water Resources (DWR) | October 3rd, 2022

DWR has completed an evaluation of state-wide groundwater level data reported in spring 2019 for California groundwater basins. Spring data correspond to the time period

DWR has completed an evaluation of state-wide groundwater level data reported in spring 2019 for California groundwater basins. Spring data correspond to the time period immediately before the typical irrigation season begins in a region. This helps show groundwater levels before summer crop irrigation and other uses. In Central and Northern California, the pre-irrigation season is in March, while in Southern California, that season is typically earlier. The Spring 2019 Groundwater Level Data Coverage map (Figure 1) shows a comparison between total spring 2019 reporting and typical reporting in previous years. Typical reporting includes wells with water level data submitted to DWR over the past five spring seasons (2015-2019) by CASGEM Monitoring Entities, other local agencies, and well owners. Although the reporting percentage is high and coverage is good, there are still gaps in spring 2019 coverage throughout the state, including portions of Tulare, Kern, San Bernardino, Riverside, and Imperial counties.

California Groundwater Conditions Update – Spring 2020

California Department of Water Resources (DWR) | October 3rd, 2022

In this report, groundwater level change values compare spring 2020 to spring 2019, 2017, 2015, and 2010. The information is summarized in Table 1. Spring groundwater lev

In this report, groundwater level change values compare spring 2020 to spring 2019, 2017, 2015, and 2010. The information is summarized in Table 1. Spring groundwater level data are an important indicator of groundwater conditions because spring generally corresponds to the pre-irrigation season. This time period is representative of the water year’s peak groundwater levels. Associated maps display groundwater level increases and decreases and summarize data by hydrologic region.

California Groundwater Conditions Update – Spring 2021 California’s drought and groundwater

California Department of Water Resources (DWR) | October 3rd, 2022

This report uses maps to depict how groundwater levels have changed over time using two different analytical methods. One method, groundwater level change maps, show the

This report uses maps to depict how groundwater levels have changed over time using two different analytical methods. One method, groundwater level change maps, show the change in groundwater levels between two different springtime measurements. The second method uses trend analysis of water levels for wells having at least 10 annual springtime measurements over a 20-year period to illustrate the statistical magnitude and direction of groundwater level change (a well’s water level increasing or decreasing trend over time). Spring groundwater level data are an important indicator of groundwater conditions because spring generally corresponds to both the pre-irrigation season and the peak groundwater levels in a water year.

California Law at the Intersection of Water Use and Land Planning: A Report for the California Office of Planning and Research

University of California College of the Law, San Francisco (UC Law SF) | May 13th, 2015

There are no laws in California that require coordination between land planners and water regulators. A local planning commission may approve a new subdivision ev

There are no laws in California that require coordination between land planners and water regulators. A local planning commission may approve a new subdivision even though there may not be enough water to supply the new development. Moreover, local water authorities and the Water Resources Control Board are under no obligation to provide water to developers if the developers do not hold title to a valid claim to water rights. The following survey and report represents a first comprehensive attempt to surface laws that lie at the intersection of land management and water regulations, offering several recommendations for ways in which existing laws can be used to facilitate better coordination between land planners and water managers. These recommendations, contained in Chapters IV-VI, suggest: Redefining the “coordination” requirement of the conservation element in general plans to facilitate coordination; Applying the Groundwater Sustainability Management Act’s sustainability goals to facilitate coordination; Utilizing well moratoria to facilitate coordination while limiting unsustainable growth. This report also contains a summary of our methodology in Chapter II, a historical overview of the relationship between land use and water law in California in Chapter III, and a survey of existing laws and constitutional provisions that are relevant to both land use and water management in Chapters VII and VIII. We hope that this report will serve as a useful tool for lawmakers and regulators to help achieve water security and sustainability for future generations.

California Water Plan Update 2023 (Final Version)

California Department of Water Resources (DWR) | April 3rd, 2024

Updated every five years, the Water Plan is the State’s strategic plan for sustainably and equitably managing, developing, and stewarding water resources. Required by W

Updated every five years, the Water Plan is the State’s strategic plan for sustainably and equitably managing, developing, and stewarding water resources. Required by Water Code Section 10005, the plan presents the status and trends of California’s water-dependent natural resources; water supplies; and agricultural, urban, and environmental water demands for a range of plausible future scenarios.

California water seen as environment issue, not North vs. South

Christian Science Monitor | June 13th, 1984

Sooner or later southern Californians are going to get more water from the north. And yet the newest proposal to do it has rekindled the political rift over water policy

Sooner or later southern Californians are going to get more water from the north. And yet the newest proposal to do it has rekindled the political rift over water policy that makes compromise difficult. The new plan would expand channels feeding the main north-south aqueduct, and it raises issues tinged with sentiment that is typically Californian. Traditionally labeled a north-south rivalry, the water issue today is more correctly an illustration of a statewide credo often that gives equal weight to the often conflicting goals of environ-mentalism and economic prosperity. Gov. George Deukmejian's water plan - called the ''through-delta canal'' - would increase water flowing through the Sacramento-San

California Winter Precipitation Change under Global Warming in the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 Ensemble

American Meteorological Society (AMS) | August 23rd, 2013

Projections of possible precipitation change in California under global warming have been subject to considerable uncertainty because California lies between the

Projections of possible precipitation change in California under global warming have been subject to considerable uncertainty because California lies between the region anticipated to undergo increases in precipitation at mid-to-high latitudes and regions of anticipated decrease in the subtropics. Evaluation of the large-scale model experiments for phase 5 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP5) suggests a greater degree of agreement on the sign of the winter (December–February) precipitation change than in the previous such intercomparison, indicating a greater portion of California falling within the increased precipitation zone. While the resolution of global models should not be relied on for accurate depiction of topographic rainfall distribution within California, the precipitation changes depend substantially on large- scale shifts in the storm tracks arriving at the coast. Significant precipitation increases in the region arriving at the California coast are associated with an eastward extension of the region of strong Pacific jet stream, which appears to be a robust feature of the large-scale simulated changes. This suggests that effects of this jet extension in steering storm tracks toward the California coast constitute an important factor that should be assessed for impacts on incoming storm properties for high-resolution regional model assessments.

California's Groundwater Conditions Semi-Annual Update: March 2023

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

These updates are part of the informational resources associated with DWR’s California’s Groundwater (Bulletin 118). This report uses groundwater data received electr

These updates are part of the informational resources associated with DWR’s California’s Groundwater (Bulletin 118). This report uses groundwater data received electronically by DWR as of February 15, 2022, through the conclusion of Water Year 2022, and the start of Water Year 2023.

California's Groundwater Conditions: Semi Annual Update May 2024, Spring Bulletin 118

California Department of Water Resources (DWR) | May 6th, 2024

In WY 2023, increased surface water supply led to a significant reduction in statewide groundwater extraction, amounting to a total annual extraction of 9.5 million acre-

In WY 2023, increased surface water supply led to a significant reduction in statewide groundwater extraction, amounting to a total annual extraction of 9.5 million acre-feet, a stark contrast to the 17 million acre-feet extracted in WY 2022.

California's Volatile Hydroclimate: Lessons From the Paleoclimate Record

American Geophysical Union (AGU) | November 24th, 2021