Potential Impacts of Future Geological Storage of CO2 on the Groundwater Resources in California’s Central Valley: Southern San Joaquin Basin Oil and Gas Production Analog for Geologic Carbon Storage

California Energy Commission (CEC) | May 1st, 2013

This study investigated the potential impacts of the injection and storage of large quantities of carbon dioxide on shallow water resources in California’s southern San

This study investigated the potential impacts of the injection and storage of large quantities of carbon dioxide on shallow water resources in California’s southern San Joaquin Basin, including the possibility that if such injection was properly planned it might help mitigate the land subsidence impacts related to over-pumping of groundwater. The project used simulation studies to investigate whether the basin-scale pressure changes and brine displacement caused by future carbon dioxide storage in the deep sediments could impact the groundwater-surface water systems in the area. Two simulation models were developed. The Deep Basin Reservoir Simulation Model was developed for accurately simulating the multiphase processes of carbon dioxide and brine flow occurring in deep sequestration reservoirs. The Shallow Water Resources Impact Simulation Model was developed for accurately predicting the impact of deep carbon dioxide sequestration on a stressed water system, including evaluation of carbon dioxide-related impacts in the context of the long-term groundwater and subsidence trends occurring in the area as a result of other water stresses such as pumping and irrigation. The Deep Basin Reservoir Simulation Model showed that the caprock and overlying geological units had sufficient barrier attributes to prevent pressure propagation from the injection layer to the shallow aquifers. The Shallow Water Resources Impact Simulation Model simulation results showed that deep carbon dioxide injection would create only minor head change and surface uplift in the shallow model layers. Overall the simulation results suggested that even large carbon dioxide storage projects should have minimal impact on shallow groundwater and surface water systems if thick layers of shales and sands separated the deep CO2 injection layers from shallow aquifers. Researchers believed this study justified devoting resources to evaluating the potential impact from localized pathways or from induced seismicity to more thoroughly investigate the feasibility of carbon dioxide storage in the southern San Joaquin Basin. 

Preliminary Evaluation of Impacts of Potential Groundwater Sustainability Indicators on Future Groundwater Extraction Rates – Oxnard Plain and Pleasant Valley Groundwater Basins

United Water Conservation District (UWCD) | April 4th, 2017

This evaluation was performed to estimate the combined sustainable yield of the Oxnard Plain (including the Forebay) and Pleasant Valley groundwater basins (the study are

This evaluation was performed to estimate the combined sustainable yield of the Oxnard Plain (including the Forebay) and Pleasant Valley groundwater basins (the study area). The purpose is to provide supporting information to United Water Conservation District’s (United) management and Board of Directors in establishing groundwater management policies that are consistent with the mission of the agency. United recognizes that the compliance actions associated with the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), the formation of a Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA), and the creation and implementation of Groundwater Sustainability Plans (GSPs) have the potential to change how groundwater resources are managed in Ventura County. This report was prepared for the benefit of United’s Board of Directors and senior management, and is not intended to serve as a GSP, define how the sustainable yield should be determined by the GSA, or specify what value or range of values should be used as the sustainable yield. The analyses and results are meant to be used as a starting point in evaluating potential impacts to United’s operations as a result of sustainability planning already underway by the Fox Canyon Groundwater Management Agency (FCGMA) for the study area. Note: an addendum to this was published on November 7, 2017

Preliminary Evaluation of the Hydrogeologic System in Owens Valley, California

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) | January 8th, 1988

Owens Valley is a major source of water for southern California and presently (1986) provides more than 60 percent of the supply for Los Angeles. Since 1970, ground-water

Owens Valley is a major source of water for southern California and presently (1986) provides more than 60 percent of the supply for Los Angeles. Since 1970, ground-water withdrawal from Owens Valley has increased, and a decline in the health of vegetation has been reported. In 1982, a cooperative project to study the hydrogeology and plant ecology of Owens Valley was begun by Inyo County, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, and the U.S. Geological Survey. As part of this project, the available data and present hydrologic concepts of Owens Valley were evaluated by using a ground-waterflow model. Results of this preliminary evaluation are being used to guide data collection and the development of more sophisticated hydrologic models.

Preliminary hydrogeologic assessment near the boundary of the Antelope Valley and El Mirage Valley groundwater basins, California

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) | July 19th, 2017

Preliminary update of DWR evaluation of San Joaquin Valley - Kern County basin Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP)

California Department of Water Resources (DWR) | December 9th, 2021

Probabilistic Subsidence Forecast Model for the California Aqueduct Subsidence Program, San Joaquin Valley, California: Revision 1 Design Report

California Department of Water Resources (DWR) | October 4th, 2024

This report documents the development of a probabilistic subsidence forecast model for simulating a plausible range of future land-surface altitude conditions along the C

This report documents the development of a probabilistic subsidence forecast model for simulating a plausible range of future land-surface altitude conditions along the California Aqueduct (Aqueduct) and San Luis Canal in the San Joaquin Valley (SJV), with an emphasis on areas of localized subsidence (i.e., “subsidence bowls”). The model forecasts will be used to inform long-term planning and on-going analyses of potential investments needed to provide a suitable level of performance for the Aqueduct. The forecast model is primarily based on an empirical relationship between historical subsidence rates and annual water deliveries from the Central Valley Project (CVP) and State Water Project (SWP). A key assumption of the model is that the rate of groundwater overdraft, which contributes to loss of aquifer storage and permanent land subsidence, is correlated with CVP and SWP deliveries, and specifically with higher groundwater storage loss during severe drought years. Another key assumption is that the same rates of subsidence will continue even after groundwater levels decline and extraction may be coming from deeper parts of the aquifer system. If the geology and/or aquifer properties change dramatically in response, then these new conditions may have an unmodeled impact on future rates. 

Progress Report: Subsidence in California, March 2015 – September 2016

Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) | February 7th, 2017

Subsidence caused by groundwater pumping in the Central Valley has been a problem for decades. Over the last few years, interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) h

Subsidence caused by groundwater pumping in the Central Valley has been a problem for decades. Over the last few years, interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) has been used from satellites and aircraft to produce maps of subsidence with sensitivity of fractions of an inch. For this study, we have obtained and analyzed data from the European Space Agency’s satellite-borne Sentinel-1A from the period March 2015 – September 2016 and the NASA airborne UAVSAR for the period March 2015 – June 2016, and produced maps of total subsidence from the two data sets. These data add to the earlier data processed from the Japanese PALSAR for 2006 – 2010, Canadian Radarsat-2 for the period May 2014 – January 2015, and UAVSAR for July 2013 - March 2015, for which subsidence measurements were reported previously (Farr et al., 2015). Here we also present results for the South-Central coast of California including Ventura, Oxnard, Santa Barbara and north to the San Joaquin Valley as well as the Santa Clara Valley from colleagues who have processed Sentinel-1A data covering March 2015 – March 2016. As multiple scenes were acquired during these periods, we can also produce time histories of subsidence at selected locations and transects showing how subsidence varies both spatially and temporally.

Projecting groundwater storage changes in California’s Central Valley

Nature Portfolio (Springer Nature) | August 27th, 2018

Accurate and detailed knowledge of California’s groundwater is of paramount importance for statewide water resources planning and management, and to sustain a

Accurate and detailed knowledge of California’s groundwater is of paramount importance for statewide water resources planning and management, and to sustain a multi-billion-dollar agriculture industry during prolonged droughts. In this study, we use water supply and demand information from California’s Department of Water Resources to develop an aggregate groundwater storage model for California’s Central Valley. The model is evaluated against 34 years of historic estimates of changes in groundwater storage derived from the United States Geological Survey’s Central Valley Hydrologic Model (USGS CVHM) and NASA’s Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (NASA GRACE) satellites. The calibrated model is then applied to predict future changes in groundwater storage for the years 2015–2050 under various precipitation scenarios from downscaled climate projections. We also discuss and project potential management strategies across different annual supply and demand variables and how they affect changes in groundwater storage. All simulations support the need for collective statewide management intervention to prevent continued depletion of groundwater availability.

Pumping and Ground-Water Storage Depletion in Las Vegas Valley, Nevada, 1955-1974

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) | July 1st, 1976

Quantification of record-breaking subsidence in California’s San Joaquin Valley

Nature Portfolio (Springer Nature) | November 19th, 2024