Initial Characterization of the Groundwater System near the Lower Colorado Water Supply Project, Imperial Valley, California

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) | October 13th, 2015

In 2009, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the city of Needles, began a study of the hydrogeology along the All-American Canal, which conveys water from the

In 2009, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the city of Needles, began a study of the hydrogeology along the All-American Canal, which conveys water from the Colorado River to the Imperial Valley. The focus of this study was to gain a better understanding of the effect of lining the All-American Canal, and other management actions, on future total dissolved solids concentrations in groundwater pumped by Lower Colorado Water Supply Project wells that is delivered to the All-American Canal. The study included the compilation and evaluation of previously published hydrogeologic and geochemical information, establishment of a groundwater-elevation and groundwater-quality monitoring network, results of monitoring groundwater elevations and groundwater quality from 2009 to 2011, site-specific hydrologic investigations of the Lower Colorado Water Supply Project area, examination of groundwater salinity by depth by using time-domain electromagnetic surveys, and monitoring of groundwater-storage change by using microgravity methods. Prior to the completion of the All-American Canal in 1940, groundwater in the study area flowed from east to west, and groundwater was recharged primarily by underflow from the Colorado River Valley. After construction of the All-American Canal, groundwater elevations were altered in the study area as seepage of Colorado River water from the All-American Canal and other canals became the dominant recharge source. By 2005, groundwater elevations had increased by as much as 50–70 feet along the All-American Canal. Superimposed on the east-to-west groundwater gradient was groundwater movement away from the All-American Canal to the north and, most likely, to the south into Mexico. After lining the All-American Canal, from 2007 to 2010, groundwater elevations declined as seepage from the All-American Canal decreased. Between 2005 (the last complete groundwater-elevation survey prior to lining the All-American Canal) and 2011, groundwater elevations declined 20–40 feet along the All-American Canal and as much as 40–45 feet in the vicinity of Lower Colorado Water Supply Project pumping wells. Water-quality and isotope data were used to differentiate historically recharged groundwater from groundwater more recently recharged by seepage of Colorado River surface water from the All-American Canal. Prior to the completion of the All-American Canal in 1940, groundwater in the southern part of the study area was primarily sodium-chloride/sulfate type water that had relatively low total dissolved solids concentrations (500–820 milligrams per liter). During 2007–11, groundwater in the southern part of the study area, near the All-American Canal, ranged from sodium-chloride type water to mixed-cation-sulfate type water that had total dissolved solids concentrations generally less than 879 milligrams per liter. The stable-isotopic signature of groundwater near the All-American Canal sampled in 2009–11 indicated inputs of Colorado River water that had been affected by evaporation, and radioactive isotopes indicated that a substantial fraction of water had been recharged recently, within the past 60 years. This contrasted with historically recharged groundwater near the All-American Canal, which had higher sodium and chloride concentrations, and lower calcium and sulfate concentrations, than recent recharge from the All-American Canal. Groundwater at a distance from the All-American Canal, in the East Mesa, Algodones Dunes, Pilot Knob Mesa, and Cargo Muchacho Mountains piedmont, was found to have higher total dissolved solids concentrations (generally greater than 1,000 milligrams per liter) than recently recharged groundwater near the All-American Canal. Time-domain electromagnetic data indicated that low-salinity groundwater was present down to about 377 feet below land surface near the All-American Canal; groundwater salinity at depth increased with distance north from the All-American Canal. Groundwater several miles or more from the canal also did not contain tritium and had a residence time on the order of thousands to tens of thousands of years. The groundwater in the piedmont of the Cargo Muchacho Mountains had a distinctly light stable-isotopic signature indicative of recharge by runoff from local precipitation, whereas the stable isotopic signature of groundwater in the East Mesa and the Algodones Dunes indicated a mixture of local precipitation and historic Colorado River recharge sources. During and after lining the All-American Canal (2007–11), groundwater elevations in the Lower Colorado Water Supply Project area declined, while total dissolved solids concentrations remained relatively constant. The total dissolved solids concentrations in well LCWSP-2 ranged from 650 to 800 milligrams per liter during this study. Depth-specific water-quality and isotope sampling at well LCWSP-2 indicated the groundwater pumped from the deeper part of the screened interval (240–280 feet below land surface) contained a greater proportion of historical groundwater than the groundwater pumped from the shallower part of the screened interval (350–385 feet below land surface). Age-tracer data at well LCWSP-2 indicated that all depths of the screened interval had received recent recharge from seepage of Colorado River water from the All-American Canal.

Installation of Bioretention Rain Gardens to Achieve Pollutant Reduction

San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) | December 1st, 2019

Green infrastructure (GI) is a resilient approach to managing stormwater at its source while also delivering environmental, social, and economic benefits. GI uses vegetat

Green infrastructure (GI) is a resilient approach to managing stormwater at its source while also delivering environmental, social, and economic benefits. GI uses vegetation, soils, and other elements to restore more natural watershed processes that mimic nature to soak up stormwater, provide habitat, clean the air, and filter out pollutants from urban stormwater runoff. GI can reduce peak flows and stream erosion; recharge groundwater; and improve water quality in urban stormwater that drains to San Francisco Bay. 

Institutions and the Economic Efficiency of Managed Aquifer Recharge as a Mitigation Strategy Against Drought Impacts on Irrigated Agriculture in California

American Geophysical Union (AGU) | May 28th, 2022

Managed aquifer recharge (or intentional recharge) is a purposeful human intervention designed to supplement natural enrichment processes of groundwater aquifers by vario

Managed aquifer recharge (or intentional recharge) is a purposeful human intervention designed to supplement natural enrichment processes of groundwater aquifers by various methods. It holds the potential to mitigate the impact of climate uncertainty on irrigated agriculture by restoring storage levels in depleted aquifers, the economic value of which increases during droughts. We use a high-resolution dynamic regional hydroeconomic framework that endogenizes farming decisions in response to water quantity-quality changes, as well as complex hydrogeological principles to analyze several institutional designs and climate scenarios applied to the Kings Groundwater Basin in California. Our analysis demonstrates that intentional recharge is of high benefit to the region, potentially increasing average groundwater levels in the region by 20% over a 20 year horizon. Additionally, we show how this practice could become the subject of second-best arrangements among water users in the region in view of property rights to groundwater derived from recent legislation in California, thus increasing its materialization potential. However, we also find that the quantity recharged is sensitive to climate conditions and hydrological properties.

Integrated Water Resources Plan 2015 Update

Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD) | January 1st, 2016

In California water, uncertainty comes with the territory. Being unprepared for tomorrow, however, is simply not an option. The Metropolitan Water District of Southern C

In California water, uncertainty comes with the territory. Being unprepared for tomorrow, however, is simply not an option. The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California prepares for tomorrow with an evolving long-term water strategy known as its Integrated Water Resources Plan, or IRP. The inaugural IRP was adopted in 1996, with updates in 2004 and 2010. The 2015 IRP Update continues the tradition of assessing and adapting to changing conditions facing Southern California. The fundamental goal of the IRP is for Southern California to have as reliable a water system for tomorrow as the region has enjoyed for decades, regardless of the challenges that emerge along the way. Metropolitan plans to meet this goal through an adaptive management strategy that is the cornerstone of the 2015 IRP Update. Metropolitan was authorized by the California Legislature in 1928 to advance a regional approach to water supply in Southern California. Metropolitan’s initial mission was to construct the 242-mile Colorado River Aqueduct to its service area on the Southern California coastal plain. Metropolitan’s service area had an assessed property valuation of approximately $2 billion at the time. Now Metropolitan serves a six-county service area with a property valuation of approximately $2 trillion. Metropolitan imports supplies from both the Colorado River and Northern California via the State Water Project while investing in a variety of storage, local supply and conservation initiatives. Metropolitan has a long record of promoting alternatives to imported water supplies, dating back to the 1980s. With the IRP, that process became more formalized as a long-term strategy and official policy. Metropolitan has steadily diversified the future water portfolio for Southern California with each revision to the IRP. This update is no exception. Investments to maintain the reliability of imported supplies are complemented by an expansion of local supply development along with a reduction in demand through a variety of conservation and water-use efficiency initiatives. The necessary suite of actions evolves over time based on the water conditions of tomorrow. Updating the IRP creates a new baseline for managing into the future.

Integrating Storage in California’s Changing Water System

University of California, Davis (UC Davis) | November 13th, 2014

Surface water reservoirs provide water supply and flood management benefits by capturing water when available and storing it for use when needed. Surface reservoirs are c

Surface water reservoirs provide water supply and flood management benefits by capturing water when available and storing it for use when needed. Surface reservoirs are commonly operated more for seasonal or short-term inter-annual needs. Groundwater aquifers generally provide longer-term storage and a source of water and seasonal storage in areas where surface water is limited. This paper reviews the benefits and challenges of water storage in California’s evolving water system, and provides some quantitative insights from an integrated analysis of this system. Water storage should not be viewed as isolated projects. For today’s water management objectives and conditions, surface water and groundwater storage should be considered and analyzed as parts of larger systems or portfolios of actions that include a wide variety of water sources, types and locations of storage, conveyance alternatives, and managing all forms of water demands. Such an integrated, multi-benefit perspective and analysis is a fundamental departure from most ongoing policy discussions and project analyses. The pilot study described in this paper focused on water storage and concludes that ability to utilize additional water storage in California varies greatly with its location, the availability of water conveyance capacity, and operation of the system to integrate surface, groundwater, and conveyance facilities. At most, California’s large-scale water system could utilize up to 5-6 million acre-feet of additional surface and groundwater storage capacity, and probably no more, which would likely provide 50-150 taf/year of additional water delivery for each million acre foot of additional storage capacity alone. The water supply and environmental performance of additional storage capacity is greatest when surface and groundwater storage are operated together. The benefits, and likely cost-effectiveness, of coordinating surface and groundwater storage and conveyance operations greatly surpass the benefits of expanding storage capacity alone, greatly expanding water delivery increases to as much as 200 taf/maf of additional storage capacity. Because we did not quantify and compare the economic value and costs of water supply and other benefits of expanding storage capacity, we cannot yet say if particular expansions would be economically justified. Similarly, because we did not comprehensively analyze the environmental impacts of expanding storage capacity or specific storage projects, we cannot yet say if particular expansions would be environmentally justified. Further, this study does not consider reoperation of existing facilities, water demand management, changes in prioritization of water uses or rights, or other policy or regulatory actions that might change the ability to supply water demands using existing water storage capabilities.

Isolating the Poroelastic Response of the Groundwater System in InSAR Data From the Central Valley of California

American Geophysical Union (AGU) | April 28th, 2023

Kaweah Subbasin Staff Assessment

California State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) | October 14th, 2025

The Kaweah Subbasin is managed by three GSAs: East Kaweah GSA, Greater Kaweah GSA, and Mid-Kaweah GSA (collectively, the Kaweah GSAs or GSAs). Each GSA wrote their own GS

The Kaweah Subbasin is managed by three GSAs: East Kaweah GSA, Greater Kaweah GSA, and Mid-Kaweah GSA (collectively, the Kaweah GSAs or GSAs). Each GSA wrote their own GSP, East Kaweah GSP (EKGSP), Greater Kaweah GSP (GKGSP), and Mid-Kaweah GSP (MKGSP). The three GSPs are tied together by a coordination agreement. The primary use of groundwater within the subbasin is irrigated agriculture; in 2020, irrigated agriculture used more than 94 percent of the groundwater in the subbasin (2024 Coordination Agreement, Appendix 1, p. 27). The subbasin is critically overdrafted, which means that groundwater is pumped out of the subbasin faster than it is recharged by precipitation and other sources. On average, the amount pumped from the subbasin in a year is 104,000 acre-feet greater than the amount recharged (2024 GKGSP p. 1-1). Overdraft can cause the land surface to sink, potentially damaging infrastructure and reducing aquifer storage. In addition, overdraft threatens groundwater levels and drinking water quality and could have disparate impacts on communities that rely on shallower groundwater levels. Due to historic and political factors, many of these are economically disadvantaged and communities of color. As of 2022, the subbasin has an estimated population of 296,632 people with most of the population being Hispanic or Latino (60.6%) followed by white (31%) (American Community Survey, 2022). The average annual household income within the subbasin in 2022 is $71,000, which is significantly less than the state average of $91,551 (ibid.).

Kern Water Bank Status Report No. 3

California Department of Water Resources (DWR) | April 1st, 1990

LADWP Stormwater Capture Master Plan

Los Angeles Department of Water & Power (LADWP) | October 5th, 2015

To ensure a safe and reliable water supply for future generations of Angelenos, one of the City’s key strategies is to increase the local water supply and decrease the

To ensure a safe and reliable water supply for future generations of Angelenos, one of the City’s key strategies is to increase the local water supply and decrease the need to purchase imported water. However, in large part due to urbanization, the majority of precipitation that falls onto the City flows into storm drains and out to the ocean. In light of these conditions, stormwater is an increasingly viable supply. Capturing and using stormwater on-site can offset potable water demand. Capturing and infiltrating stormwater into subsurface groundwater aquifers increases local groundwater reserves. Both infiltration and capture for direct use enhance the reliability of the City’s water supply. Projects to capture and conserve stormwater runoff comprise an important component of the City’s water supply portfolio. The City is a part of a complex multi-jurisdictional region. As such, implementing effective and comprehensive local stormwater capture projects involves a collaborative effort between several agencies including LADWP, the Los Angeles County Flood Control District (LACFCD), the Los Angeles Bureau of Sanitation (LASAN), the Los Angeles Bureau of Street Services (LABSS), the Los Angeles Bureau of Engineering (LABOE), and the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). Additionally, LADWP partners with many community-based organizations to leverage their relationships with the residents of the City. Working together on projects that have multi-benefits for multiple agencies allows for the opportunity to cost-share and reduces the financial burden.

Land subsidence in the San Joaquin Valley, California, as of 1972

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) | July 10th, 1975

Land subsidence which began in the mid-1920's due to groundwater overdraft in the San Joaquin Valley has caused widespread concern for the past two decades. Withdrawals

Land subsidence which began in the mid-1920's due to groundwater overdraft in the San Joaquin Valley has caused widespread concern for the past two decades. Withdrawals for irrigation increased from 3 million acre-feet in 1942 to 10 million acre-feet in 1966. Water levels declined at unprecedented rates during the 1950's and early 1960's. Pumping lifts became inordinately high, well casings failed at alarming rates, and differential settlement caused numerous farming and engineering problems. By 1970,5,200 square miles of valley land had been affected, and maximum subsidence exceeded 28 feet. The valley-wide volume of subsidence totaled 15.6 million acre-feet, one-half the initial storage capacity of Lake Mead. This subsidence represents one of the great environmental changes imposed by man. Importation of surface water to the northwestern and eastern areas of overdraft in the valley began in the 1950's and to the much larger western and southern areas in the late 1960's. Canal imports have largely replaced ground-water pumpage in these areas. As of 1973, after three decades of continued declining water levels, many hundreds of irrigation wells are idle and water levels are rising. Throughout much of the valley, artesian pressures are recovering toward their presubsidence levels, and elevations of the subsiding land surface are stabilizing. Basic-data graphs and computer-plotted stress-strain relationships constitute a major part of this report. They are based on 10-13 years of detailed field measurements of both water-level change and compaction collected by the U.S. Geological Survey at 20 selected locations in the San Joaquin Valley. The recharge characteristics of a ground-water reservoir are indicated roughly by the volume ratio, which is subsidence/pumpage. In the Los Banos-Kettleman City area, the values of this ratio range from less than 0.2 near the perimeter to more than 0.6 in the central part of the area. In the corresponding parts of the Arvin-Maricopa area, the ratio ranges from near 0 to more than 0.4.