Estimating the permanent loss of groundwater storage in the southern San Joaquin Valley, California

American Geophysical Union (AGU) | February 23rd, 2017

In the San Joaquin Valley, California, recent droughts starting in 2007 have increased the pumping of groundwater, leading to widespread subsidence. In the southern porti

In the San Joaquin Valley, California, recent droughts starting in 2007 have increased the pumping of groundwater, leading to widespread subsidence. In the southern portion of the San Joaquin Valley, vertical subsidence as high as 85 cm has been observed between June 2007 and December 2010 using Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR). This study seeks to map regions where inelastic (not recoverable) deformation occurred during the study period, resulting in permanent compaction and loss of groundwater storage. We estimated the amount of permanent compaction by incorporating multiple data sets: the total deformation derived from InSAR, estimated skeletal-specific storage and hydraulic parameters, geologic information, and measured water levels during our study period. We used two approaches, one that we consider to provide an estimate of the lowest possible amount of inelastic deformation, and one that provides a more reasonable estimate. These two approaches resulted in a spatial distribution of values for the percentage of the total deformation that was inelastic, with the former estimating a spatially averaged value of 54%, and the latter a spatially averaged value of 98%. The former corresponds to the permanent loss of m3 of groundwater storage, or roughly 5% of the volume of groundwater used over the study time period; the latter corresponds to the loss of m3 of groundwater storage, or roughly 9% of the volume of groundwater used. This study demonstrates that a data-driven approach can be used effectively to estimate the permanent loss of groundwater storage.

Estimation of groundwater residence time with deeply-derived carbon mixture considered in California

Science of the Total Environment (Elsevier) | December 16th, 2022

Groundwater has experienced long-term overdraft due to drought and human activities in California, resulting in issues of land subsidence and groundwater anthropogenic co

Groundwater has experienced long-term overdraft due to drought and human activities in California, resulting in issues of land subsidence and groundwater anthropogenic contamination. As a useful indicator of groundwater renewal rate and its residence time, groundwater age has been conventionally investigated based on 14C content and 3H concentration. However, the influence of deeply-derived (endogenic) CO2 mixture is not fully and quantitatively considered, although endogenic carbon contributes a large part of the dissolved inorganic carbon in groundwater. Combined with 3H concentration, both conventional and modified 14C-dating methods with endogenic CO2 mixture considered are employed for groundwater age determination in California. On average, the conventional groundwater 14C apparent age is overestimated by ~4.9 kyr or ~26.2 %, causing groundwater recharge rate underestimation and aquifer recovery time overestimation by ~46.0 % and ~26.2 %, respectively. High 3H concentration indicates modern water mixture in more than one fifth of groundwater samples, including those with high modified 14C apparent age (> 12 kyr, i.e., fossil groundwater) in the Central Valley and southern California, which are generally considered not to be recharged by modern water. Modern water mixture in old groundwater can potentially bring anthropogenic contamination to these groundwater resources, which should be paid attentions by the government and the managers. The results have important implications in evaluation of groundwater replenishment and its susceptibility to modern contamination in California, and in groundwater resources estimation globally.

Evaluation of a Ground-Water Flow and Transport Model of the Upper Coachella Valley, California

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) | June 25th, 1992

A geohydrologic data base was compiled to evaluate the changes in ground-water conditions in the upper Coachella Valley, California, since 1978, when the results of a pre

A geohydrologic data base was compiled to evaluate the changes in ground-water conditions in the upper Coachella Valley, California, since 1978, when the results of a previous ground-water-model study were published. The compiled data were analyzed to improve understanding of the ground-water flow system and the effects on water quality of an existing artificial-recharge program. Analysis of well logs indicates that several zones of differing permeability can be correlated throughout the valley. Analysis of the water-quality data suggests that the artificial recharge of Colorado River water has caused increases in dissolved solids in some wells. Sparse data indicate that the recharged water moves much more rapidly through the uppermost part of the ground-water system than through deeper parts. An evaluation of the existing ground-water simulation model of the upper Coachella Valley that was developed in the 1978 study yielded several conclusions. First, the 300- to 400-foot rise in water levels in the artificialrecharge area in 1985-86 significantly affected the groundwater flow system. Transmissivities in the model had to be increased to reflect the increase in saturated thickness. Storage-coefficient values in the model had to be increased from 0.02 (used in the previous study) to 0.10-0.15 to simulate the unconfined water-level response during this period. Second, stream-recharge and underflow rates from San Gorgonio Pass during 1979-86 seem to have been higher than the values estimated for previous studies. Conditions generally were wetter in 1979-86 than during the period in which the earlier estimates were made. Third, the flow system could be simulated more accurately if the model were extended to its true southeastern boundary, the Salton Sea. Finally, there are important vertical differences in transport of the artificially recharged water that the two-dimensional areal transport model cannot simulate. The study results indicate several additional data collection and modeling needs. The drilling of several sets of monitor wells perforated at different depths could help better define the three-dimensional flow system and waterquality differences. Additional data also are needed on underflow and stream recharge, evaporation rates and infiltration rates at the artificial-recharge facilities, and net pumpage. Three-dimensional flow and transport models are needed to evaluate the effects of ground-water development on water levels and water quality.

Evaluation of Geohydrologic Framework, Recharge Estimates, and Ground-Water Flow of the Joshua Tree Area, San Bernardino County, California

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) | February 7th, 2005

Ground water historically has been the sole source of water supply for the community of Joshua Tree in the Joshua Tree ground-water subbasin of the Morongo ground-water b

Ground water historically has been the sole source of water supply for the community of Joshua Tree in the Joshua Tree ground-water subbasin of the Morongo ground-water basin in the southern Mojave Desert. The Joshua Basin Water District (JBWD) supplies water to the community from the underlying Joshua Tree ground-water subbasin. The JBWD is concerned with the long-term sustainability of the underlying aquifer. To help meet future demands, the JBWD plans to construct production wells in the adjacent Copper Mountain ground-water subbasin. As growth continues in the desert, there may be a need to import water to supplement the available ground-water resources. In order to manage the ground-water resources and to identify future mitigating measures, a thorough understanding of the ground-water system is needed. The purpose of this study was threefold: (1) improve the understanding of the geohydrologic framework of the Joshua Tree and Copper Mountain ground-water subbasins, (2) determine the distribution and quantity of recharge using field and numerical techniques, and (3) develop a ground-water flow model that can be used to help manage the water resources of the region.

Evaluation of Geohydrologic Framework, Recharge Estimates, and Ground-Water Flow of the Joshua Tree Area, San Bernardino County, California

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) | July 1st, 2004

Evaluation of Ground-Water Flow and Solute Transport in the Lompoc Area, Santa Barbara County, California

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) | July 1st, 1997

Ground-water quality in the Lompoc area, especially in the Lompoc plain, is only marginally acceptable for most uses. Demand for ground water has increased for municipal

Ground-water quality in the Lompoc area, especially in the Lompoc plain, is only marginally acceptable for most uses. Demand for ground water has increased for municipal use since the late 1950's and has continued to be high for irrigation on the Lompoc plain, the principal agricultural area in the Santa Ynez River basin. As use has increased, the quality of ground water has deteriorated in some areas of the Lompoc plain. The dissolved-solids concentration in the main zone of the upper aquifer beneath most of the central and western plains has increased from less than 1,000 milligrams per liter in the 1940's to greater than 2,000 milligrams per liter in the 1960's. Dissolved-solids concentration have remained relatively constant since the 1960's. A three-dimensional finite-difference model was used to simulate ground-water flow in the Lompoc area and a two-dimensional finite-element model was used to simulate solute transport to gain a better understanding of the ground-water system and to evaluate the effects of proposed management plans for the ground-water basin. The aquifer system was simulated in the flow model as four horizontal layers. In the area of the Lompoc plain, the layers represent the shallow, middle, and main zones of the upper aquifer, and the lower aquifer. For the Lompoc upland and Lompoc terrace, the four layers represent the lower aquifer. The solute transport model was used to simulate dissolved-solids transport in the main zone of the upper aquifer beneath the Lompoc plain. The flow and solute-transport models were calibrated to transient conditions for 1941-88. A steady-state simulation was made to provide initial conditions for the transient-state simulation by using long-term average (1941-88) recharge rates. Model-simulated hydraulic heads generally were within 5 feet of measured heads in the main zone for transient conditions. Model-simulated dissolved-solids concentrations for the main zone generally differed less than 200 milligrams per liter from concentrations in 1988.

Evaluation of Land Subsidence and Ground Failures at Bicycle Basin, Fort Irwin National Training Center, California, 1992–2017

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) | June 5th, 2019

Groundwater has been pumped in the Bicycle Basin at Fort Irwin National Training Center since the 1960s, and the amount pumped has generally increased since the 1990s. Af

Groundwater has been pumped in the Bicycle Basin at Fort Irwin National Training Center since the 1960s, and the amount pumped has generally increased since the 1990s. After a large crack (approximately 0.5-kilometer long) formed at the surface of Bicycle Lake playa during 2005–06 in the area used as an aircraft runway, a monitoring study was initiated by the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. Army Fort Irwin National Training Center, to help determine the cause. The extent and effect of groundwater-level declines and land-surface deformation in Bicycle Basin were evaluated using a number of approaches, including water-level measurements from December 2007 to June 2017, land surveys across the playa area, interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) analyses, geophysical surveys of the playa area, and numerical experiments to test hypotheses about soil mechanical processes. A specific objective of this study was to evaluate the recent development of ground failures in the form of large, surface cracks that pose a hazard to aircraft operations on the Bicycle Lake playa airstrip.  Another large crack and set of interconnected cracks formed at the surface of Bicycle Lake playa in 2013 following a period of inundation similar to that of 2005–06; however, the 2013 cracks formed a network rather than a single feature. Groundwater pumping resulted in more than 27 meters (90 feet) of water-level declines in wells north of the Bicycle Lake playa from 1990 to 2017, and InSAR interferograms indicated more than 400 millimeters (16 inches) of subsidence during 1993–2015. Subsidence rates calculated from InSAR interferograms were variable, temporally and spatially. Results of leveling surveys indicated differential subsidence between 2009 and 2016 along a transect across the playa to the area of maximum subsidence; there was less subsidence south of the 2005–06 crack than north of it. The steepest subsidence gradient for this time was in the area of maximum subsidence. Repeat tape-extensometer measurements from April 2009 to November 2017 across the main-runway crack indicated slight opening along part of the crack. A baseline lidar (light detection and ranging) survey of the main-runway crack was done in January 2009 to track the development of this feature. During the 95-months from January 2009 to December 2016, 0.5 meters (19.7 inches) of subsidence was observed next to the subsidence pit in the crack along the western end of the scanned area, presumably due to erosion and backfilling when the lake was inundated. Standing water in the crack along the eastern end of the scanned area prevented determining change for that part of the crack. Time-series, shaded-relief images show the progression of change in the crack from January 2009 through December 2016, with the crack closing and opening, depending on the time of most recent inundation relative to when the scans were taken. Volumetric changes in the size of the crack, calculated between the sequential lidar surveys, show that from 2009 to 2016, the cumulative volumetric change was 1.5 cubic meters (54 cubic feet). This volume is a minimum estimate because the crack volume below the water surface in the pits was not included in the calculations. Subsurface imaging of the 2005–06 main-runway crack by a series of electrical resistivity tomography surveys in 2008 and 2017 indicated that the crack could extend 5 meters (16 feet) in the subsurface.  Electromagnetic induction surveys in 2008, 2014, and 2015 evaluated the technique for ground-failure monitoring and showed that the technique was effective at revealing anomalies correlated with the features of concern in the playa area, such as the 2005–06 crack, numerous ”healed” macropolygon features, and scattered sink-like depressions.  Results from numerical experiments simulating water-table decline at depth indicated that the material deposits in the desaturating capillary fringe zone might not be able to transmit large enough stresses up through the overlying soil to cause cracks at the land surface. Results from simulations of desiccation in the presence of a regional tectonically induced stress field, however, tended to support the hypothesis that the combined processes could control the formation of giant desiccation macropolygons in certain areas, such as Bicycle Lake playa.

Evaluation of Surface-Water/Ground-Water Interactions in the Santa Clara River Valley, Ventura County, California

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) | May 28th, 1999

The interactions of surface water and ground water along the Santa Clara River in Ventura County, California, were evaluated by analyzing river-discharge and water-qua

The interactions of surface water and ground water along the Santa Clara River in Ventura County, California, were evaluated by analyzing river-discharge and water-quality data and geohydrologic information collected by the U.S. Geological Survey between 1993 and 1995 for the Piru, Fillmore, and Santa Paula subbasins. Measurements of discharge and water quality were made at multiple locations along the Santa Clara River and its tributaries at eight different time periods during different releases from Lake Piru. Geologic, hydraulic, and water-quality data were collected from three new multiple-completion ground-water monitoring wells. These data, together with data collected as part of the U.S. Geological Survey Southern California Regional Aquifer-System Analysis (RASA) study, were analyzed in order to quantify rates and locations of ground-water recharge and discharge within the river, characterize the correlation of recharge and discharge rates with ground-water conditions and reservoir releases, and better characterize the three-dimensional ground-water flow system. Analysis of the data indicates that the largest amount of ground-water recharge from the river consistently occurs in the Piru subbasin. Some ground-water recharge from the river may occur in the upper part of the Fillmore subbasin. Increases in sulfate concentrations indicate that increases in flow at the lower ends of the Piru and Fillmore subbasins result from high-sulfate ground-water discharge. Increases in flow in the lower part of the Santa Paula subbasin are not accompanied by significant sulfate increases. Several sets of regressions indicate possible correlation between net flow changes in the river and depths to ground water and release rates from Lake Piru. These statistical relations may be of use for evaluating alternative Lake Piru release strategies. Data on the stable isotopes of hydrogen and oxygen from the ground-water monitoring wells that were installed as part of this investigation were used to distinguish between zones affected by recharge from the Santa Clara River and zones affected by recharge from local precipitation. Tritium data from a new multiple-completion monitoring site indicate that near the river in the upper Santa Paula subbasin, recent (post-1950) recharge water is not present at depths greater than about 350 feet below land surface. Water-level and lithologic data from the monitoring site indicate that the river and the Shallow aquifer have only limited hydraulic connection to the underlying aquifers at this location. Water-level data from the Shallow aquifer and from an in-stream drive point were used in an analytic model to estimate hydraulic properties governing stream-aquifer interactions in the upper Santa Paula subbasin. Hydraulic conductivities in all the USGS monitoring wells were estimated on the basis of slug tests.  

Evaluation of the characteristics, discharge, and water quality of selected springs at Fort Irwin National Training Center, San Bernardino County, California

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) | March 29th, 2024

Eight springs and seeps at Fort Irwin National Training Center were described and categorized by their general characteristics, discharge, geophysical properties, and wat

Eight springs and seeps at Fort Irwin National Training Center were described and categorized by their general characteristics, discharge, geophysical properties, and water quality between 2015 and 2017. The data collected establish a modern (2017) baseline of hydrologic conditions at the springs. Two types of springs were identified: (1) precipitation-fed upland springs (Cave, Desert King, Devouge, No Name, and Panther Springs) and (2) groundwater discharge-fed basin springs (Garlic, Bitter, and Jack Springs). Comparison of electrical resistivity tomography data collected at groundwater basin springs from 2015 to 2017 indicated that spring discharge and connection to the underlying groundwater system is highly focused, although the springs themselves appear diffuse and are spread out over a large area.

Evaluation of the Source and Transport of High Nitrate Concentrations in Ground Water, Warren Subbasin, California

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) | December 13th, 2003

From early 1995 through 2001, nitrate (NO3) concentrations in ground water in the Warren subbasin, California, increased from a background concentration of 10 milligrams

From early 1995 through 2001, nitrate (NO3) concentrations in ground water in the Warren subbasin, California, increased from a background concentration of 10 milligrams per liter (mg/L) to more than the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) water-quality maximum contaminant level of 44 mg/L (10 mg/L as nitrogen). This increase coincided with an artificial ground-water recharge program implemented by the local water district, Hi-Desert Water District (HDWD), to reverse ground-water level declines of as much as 300 ft. Major findings on ground-water quality from this study are the following: •Septage from septic tanks was the primary source of NO3 to the ground-water system. •Rising ground-water levels, resulting from the artificial-recharge program, entrained high-NO3 septage stored in the unsaturated zone. •The potential for ground-water contamination should be evaluated before beginning an artificial- recharge program in an area that uses septic tanks.