Temporal variability in irrigated land and climate influences on salinity loading across the Upper Colorado River Basin, 1986-2017

Environmental Research Letters (IOP) | January 19th, 2024

Temporary Restraining Order in Kings County Farm Bureau et al v. California State Water Resources Control Board

Superior Court of California, County of Kings | July 11th, 2024

Tentative Ruling, Friant Water Authority vs. Eastern Tule Groundwater Sustainability Agency

Superior Court of California, County of Tulare | June 25th, 2024

Testing the Established Hydrogeologic Model of Source Water to the Amargosa River Basin, Inyo and San Bernardino Counties, California

Environmental Forensics (Taylor & Francis) | November 15th, 2015

The current conceptual hydrogeologic model established for source water to the Amargosa River was tested in order to help inform management decisions regarding the Amargo

The current conceptual hydrogeologic model established for source water to the Amargosa River was tested in order to help inform management decisions regarding the Amargosa River's Federal designation as Wild and Scenic through an Act of Congress. The limited availability of water in this region results in the critical need for effective management in the basin to maintain its Wild and Scenic attributes inclusive of habitat for several endangered and threatened species. The use of forensic tools and integration of multiple lines of geologic, hydrogeologic, geochemical, and stable isotopic evidence suggest that the simple historical model for primary groundwater transport through this region is incorrect and that a large supply of regional baseflow does not provide the hydrogeological foundation of the Amargosa River basin. Data collected is consistent with an alternative model requiring complex source mixing and shallow alluvial groundwater that supports river flow. This conclusion also suggests Wild and Scenic conditions in this basin are more precarious than previously understood.

The 2014 Sustainable Groundwater Management Act: A Handbook to Understanding and Implementing the Law

Water Education Foundation | January 1st, 2015

This handbook provides crucial background information on the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, signed into law in 2014 by Gov. Jerry Brown. The handbook also includ

This handbook provides crucial background information on the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, signed into law in 2014 by Gov. Jerry Brown. The handbook also includes a section on options for new governance as well as chapters on SGMA fees and case studies of SGMA implementation. Background information in the handbook provides an overview of California groundwater and the SGMA, a timeline and a list of frequently asked questions. The chapter on approaches and options for governance explains how a Groundwater Sustainability Agency might be formed and what the broad goals of a Groundwater Sustainability Plan. Also included is an easy-to-understand definition of the three options for governance and a step-by-step guide with tips on forming a GSA. This handbook was developed with funding from the California Water Foundation.

The Application of Ground-Water Flow Models as Predictive Tools—A Review of Two Ground-Water Models of Eastern Honey Lake Valley, California-Nevada

Geological Society of America (GSA) | January 9th, 1992

In the late 1980's Washoe County, Nevada, entered into an agreement with a private water development company to develop and export groundwater from the Nevada portion of

In the late 1980's Washoe County, Nevada, entered into an agreement with a private water development company to develop and export groundwater from the Nevada portion of the arid Honey Lake Valley to the rapidly growing Reno-Sparks area. The proposed project is known as the Truckee Meadows Project (TMP). Honey Lake Valley is 35 mi north of Reno, Nevada; but is located predominantly in California. Computer groundwater models of the valley were prepared by the USGS and the TMP proponents and presented to the Nevada State Engineer to evaluate the impacts of the proposed exportation of 15,000 ac-ft annually from eastern Honey Lake Valley. By using assumptions, numbers, and data which are not justified by the scientific data, both models place unreasonable and, in some instances, artificial constraints on the geology and hydrogeology of the groundwater system rather than allowing the geology and hydrogeology to constrain the models. Neither model is useful as a predictive tool. However, the major problems with the two models fall into two fundamentally different classes. The USGS model exceeded the technical limitations of the model code and made large, inappropriate adjustments to the water budget to compensate for these undetected errors. The TMP model used a water budget that was not technically justified or explained and placed the spatial distribution of ground-water recharge and discharge beyond the realm of hydrogeologic reality.  

The Basin Characterization Model—A Regional Water Balance Software Package

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) | March 22nd, 2021

This report documents the computer software package, Basin Characterization Model, version 8 (BCMv8)—a monthly, gridded, regional water-balance model—and provides det

This report documents the computer software package, Basin Characterization Model, version 8 (BCMv8)—a monthly, gridded, regional water-balance model—and provides detailed operational instructions and example applications. After several years of many applications and uses of a previous version, CA-BCM, published in 2014, the BCMv8 was refined to improve the accuracy of the water-balance components, particularly the recharge estimate, which is the most difficult to accurately assess. The improvement of the various water-balance components targeted the actual evapotranspiration component, which, in turn, reduced the uncertainty of the recharge estimate. The improvement of this component was enabled by the availability of a national, gridded actual-evapotranspiration product from the U.S. Geological Survey that was unique in its scope to combine remotely sensed spatial variability and ground-based long-term water-balance constraints. This dataset provided the ability to assess monthly actual evapotranspiration for 62 vegetation types and to perform regional calibration in watersheds throughout California with the objective of closing the water balance using improved estimates for each component. The refinements, including vegetation-specific evapotranspiration, enabled the development of applications that could explore various aspects of landscape disturbance, such as wildfire, forest management, or urbanization. The improvements to BCMv8 also provided the ability to assess long-term sustainability of water resources under a variety of management applications or future climate projections.

The Big Water Supply Shift: Groundwater Key to Water Security in California's Changing Climate

Union of Concerned Scientists | November 1st, 2015

For more than a century, California has relied on its snowmelt-fed reservoirs, rivers, and streams for the majority of its water, but drought and climate chang

For more than a century, California has relied on its snowmelt-fed reservoirs, rivers, and streams for the majority of its water, but drought and climate change are depleting those traditional supplies. Snow is already melting as many as 30 days earlier than in the mid-twentieth century, meaning less water is available during the hotter months when water demand is highest. California is increasingly turning to groundwater to meet its water needs. Today, groundwater supplies up to 50 percent of California’s water, but California’s prolonged drought has led to the over-pumping of groundwater, overdrafting the Central Valley’s aquifers. Sustainable groundwater management will allow the state to adapt to climate change while increasing water reliability in the future.

The Cost of Regulating Active Landfills for Water Quality

California State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) | January 3rd, 2016

This report to the legislature was prepared pursuant to Chapter 718, Statutes of 2010 (SB 855, Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review), which requires the State Water Reso

This report to the legislature was prepared pursuant to Chapter 718, Statutes of 2010 (SB 855, Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review), which requires the State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board) to submit to the budget committees in each house of the legislature a report on the costs of regulating water quality at active landfills. The State Water Board and Regional Water Quality Control Boards (Regional Boards, collectively, the Water Boards) analyzed the cost of resources required to implement State and Federal statutes, regulations, and policies at these facilities. This report provides an overview of the Water Boards’ Land Disposal Program, followed by a cost analysis. The Water Boards’ Land Disposal Program provides regulatory oversight to 439 active landfills and 235 other waste management facilities in the State. Active landfills are all landfills that still pose a threat to the environment, even if they have stopped accepting waste. Active landfills are classified as operating or non-operating, with non-operating landfills including proposed, closing, and closed landfills. There are an estimated 1600 legacy landfills that were not included in the cost analysis for this report. Legacy landfills are waste management units that were closed, abandoned, or inactive prior to the adoption of revised State Water Board regulations in November 1984. In response to the legislative requirements, the results of this analysis show the cost of regulating the 439 active landfills to be approximately $18.1 million. The Land Disposal Program also regulates other waste management facilities as an integral part of the program, and tracks these facilities along with active landfills. Based on this analysis, the cost of regulating the 235 other waste management facilities is approximately $7.6 million. In total, implementation of the Land Disposal Program would cost approximately $25.7 million (not including legacy landfills). In Fiscal Year 2011-2012, the total expenditures incurred by the Land Disposal Program were approximately $10.6 million. As this presents an approximately $15.2 million shortfall in funding, the program prioritizes work based on threat to water quality, complexity, and level of activity at the facility. Working within existing resource constraints, the Land Disposal Program is currently implementing a series of efficiency measures to improve program effectiveness. A discussion of these efforts concludes this report.

The Ecological Significance of the Submarine Discharge of Groundwater

Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO Publishing) | December 15th, 1980

Discharge of groundwater into the sea is widespread. Overlooking it may lead to serious misinterpretations of ecological data in studies of coastal pollution, of benthic

Discharge of groundwater into the sea is widespread. Overlooking it may lead to serious misinterpretations of ecological data in studies of coastal pollution, of benthic zonation and productivity, and of the flux of dissolved substances within and between bottom sediments and overlying water. Data are presented indicating that in the Perth region of Western Australia, submarine groundwater discharge delivers several times as much nitrate to coastal waters as does river runoff.