Mitigating land subsidence in the Coachella Valley, California, USA: An emerging success story

International Association of Hydrological Sciences (IAHS) | April 22nd, 2020

Groundwater has been a major source of agricultural, municipal, and domestic water supply since the early 1920s in the Coachella Valley, California, USA. Land s

Groundwater has been a major source of agricultural, municipal, and domestic water supply since the early 1920s in the Coachella Valley, California, USA. Land subsidence, resulting from aquifer-system com- paction and groundwater-level declines, has been a concern of the Coachella Valley Water District (CVWD) since the mid-1990s. As a result, the CVWD has implemented several projects to address groundwater overdraft that fall under three categories – groundwater substitution, conservation, and managed aquifer-recharge (MAR). The implementation of three projects in particular – replacing groundwater extraction with surface water from the Colorado River and recycled water (Mid-Valley Pipeline project), reducing water usage by tiered-rate costs, and increasing groundwater recharge at the Thomas E. Levy Groundwater Replenishment Facility – are potentially linked to markedly improved groundwater levels and subsidence conditions, including in some of the historically most overdrafted areas in the southern Coachella Valley. Groundwater-level and subsidence monitoring have tracked the effect these projects have had on the aquifer system. Prior to about 2010, water levels persistently declined, and some had reached historically low levels by 2010. Since about 2010, however, groundwater levels have stabilized or partially recovered, and subsidence has stopped or slowed substantially almost every- where it previously had been observed; uplift was observed in some areas. Furthermore, results of Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar analyses for 1995–2017 indicate that as much as about 0.6 m of subsidence occurred; nearly all of which occurred prior to 2010. Continued monitoring of water levels and subsidence is necessary to inform the CVWD about future mitigation measures. The water management strategies implemented by the CVWD can inform managers of other overdrafted and subsidence-prone basins as they seek solutions to reduce overdraft and subsidence.

Mojave Water Agency 2004 Regional Water Management Plan

Mojave Water Agency (MWA) | December 8th, 2005

This document supplements the Urban Water Management Plan element of the Mojave Water Agency (MWA) 2004 Regional Water Management Plan (RWMP). The RWMP is the master pl

This document supplements the Urban Water Management Plan element of the Mojave Water Agency (MWA) 2004 Regional Water Management Plan (RWMP). The RWMP is the master plan for MWA water management activities through the year 2020. This update provides additional information to meet 2005 Urban Water Management Plan update requirements, especially a projection of supply and demand through at least 2025. The 2005 Urban Water Management Plan is fully described in the 2004 RWMP as updated by this supplement with supply and demand projections through 2030.

Monterey County Groundwater Management Plan

Monterey County Water Resources Agency (MCWRA) | May 17th, 2006

In 1992, California State Legislature adopted the Groundwater Management Act (California Water Code Part 2.7, §10753), originally enacted as Assembly Bill (AB) 3030 and

In 1992, California State Legislature adopted the Groundwater Management Act (California Water Code Part 2.7, §10753), originally enacted as Assembly Bill (AB) 3030 and amended by Senate Bill (SB) 1938 in 2002. The Groundwater Management Act provided the authority to prepare groundwater management plans and encouraged local agencies to work cooperatively to manage groundwater resources within their jurisdictions and groundwater basins. Monterey County Water Resources Agency (MCWRA), recognizing that management of its natural water resources is critical to ensuring a long-term sustainable and reliable good quality water supply, has prepared this Groundwater Management Plan (GWMP). The purpose of the GWMP is to provide a comprehensive overview of the Salinas Valley Groundwater Basin and to recommend various management strategies for the basin. Specifically, this document provides the framework for the management of groundwater resources in the Salinas Valley Groundwater Basin (exclusive of the Seaside and Paso Robles subareas) and acts as a guidance document for future groundwater projects. While this edition of the GWMP focuses on the Salinas Valley Groundwater Basin, MCWRA is responsible for the management of the water resources for all of Monterey County. Future GWMP versions will incorporate the additional groundwater basins in the County. This document has been prepared in accordance with existing regulations as outlined in the California Water Code (as referenced above) and was prepared in coordination with local agencies and interested residents through public outreach activities.

Pumping for the masses: evolution of groundwater management in metropolitan Los Angeles

Geo Journal (Springer) | August 7th, 2015

Groundwater supports many aspects of human life. In cities, groundwater can provide a cost-effective source of water for drinking and industrial uses, while groundwater b

Groundwater supports many aspects of human life. In cities, groundwater can provide a cost-effective source of water for drinking and industrial uses, while groundwater basins provide storage. The role of groundwater in a city’s water supply tends to change over time. In the Los Angeles metropolitan area, groundwater is critical. Over decades, users in the region’s many basins allocated annual pumping rights to groundwater among users through adjudications. These rights were determined through collective processes over decades, which contributed to the complex array of public and private organizations involved in water management. The rights also continue to evolve. We analyzed changes in the distribution of groundwater rights over time for adjudicated basins in Southern Los Angeles County. Results indicate that groundwater rights are increasingly: (1) controlled or regulated by public institutions and municipalities, and (2) consolidated among larger users. Yet, both the percentage of total supplies provided by groundwater, as well as the distribution of groundwater rights, varies widely among cities and communities throughout Los Angeles. As metropolitan Los Angeles faces reduced water imports and emphasizes local water reliance, access to pumping rights and storage capacity in groundwater basins will become even more vital. We discuss implications of our results for future urban water management.

Recommendations for Sustainable Groundwater Management

California Water Foundation | April 5th, 2014

The results of this effort are organized and presented as follows in this Report: • A review of the Dialogue process that provides additional details about participati

The results of this effort are organized and presented as follows in this Report: • A review of the Dialogue process that provides additional details about participating stakeholders and their perspectives; • A description of the background and challenges for California’s groundwater management and current efforts to achieve measurable progress toward sustainable management; • A set of key Findings; and • A package of seven policy Recommendations intended to lead to a new state policy for meaningful, measurable improvement in groundwater management within realistic timeframes. The Recommendations in this report reflect the best judgments of CWF about what is needed to achieve sustainable groundwater management while keeping decision making primarily at local and regional levels. CWF remains committed to a constructive public discussion about this critical issue and, ultimately, to meaningful legislative and policy actions.

Report of Waste Discharge and Technical Report

Westlands Water District | July 10th, 2019

This Technical Report is in support of a Report of Waste Discharge (ROWD) for an agricultural aquifer storage and recovery (Ag-ASR) program for Westlands Water District

This Technical Report is in support of a Report of Waste Discharge (ROWD) for an agricultural aquifer storage and recovery (Ag-ASR) program for Westlands Water District (Westlands or District). The District is located in western Fresno and Kings Counties in the San Joaquin Valley. With the new Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) signed into law in 2014, Westlands is pursuing means to recharge groundwater within the District’s boundaries, which coincide with the Westside Subbasin (Groundwater Subbasin Number 5-22.09). Due to the presence of poor quality shallow groundwater, fine-grained soils, and the Corcoran Clay restrictive layer, surface recharge opportunities are limited (Schmidt, 2009). Direct injection using Ag-ASR wells holds promise as a more widely implementable recharge method in the District.

Second Report of Recharge Parties Pursuant to RWQCB Resolution No. R8-2008-0019 Cooperative Agreement to Protect Water Quality and Encourage the Conjunctive Uses of Imported Water in the Santa Ana River Basin, Yucaipa and San Timoteo Management Zones

San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District | July 18th, 2012

The importation of water (i.e., State Water Project (SWP) water, Colorado River water, and imported groundwater) to groundwater basins within the Santa Ana River Region

The importation of water (i.e., State Water Project (SWP) water, Colorado River water, and imported groundwater) to groundwater basins within the Santa Ana River Region is necessary to meet increasing demand. However, long-term conjunctive use of water within the Region could affect groundwater quality. As such, the California Regional Water Quality Control Board Santa Ana Region (RWQCB) is requiring that groundwater quality be managed to meet the water quality objectives for total dissolved solids (TDS) and nitrogen (i.e., Salinity Objectives) regulated in the 1995 Water Quality Control Plan for the Santa Ana River Basin (Basin Plan). On January 22, 2004, the RWQCB adopted Resolution No. R8-2004-0001, incorporating an updated TDS and nitrogen management plan that includes revised groundwater subbasin boundaries; revised TDS and nitrate-nitrogen water quality objectives for groundwater; revised TDS and nitrogen waste load allocations; and revised reach designations, TDS and nitrogen objectives and beneficial uses for specific surface waters. On May 19, 2006, the RWQCB considered a resolution and order that would have adopted general waste discharge requirements for the recharge of imported water to the Santa Ana River Basin. Based on input from stakeholders, it was decided by the RWQCB that the feasibility of a cooperative program should be investigated that would achieve the objectives of and obviate the adoption of the draft resolution and order under consideration. On January 18, 2008, the RWQCB adopted Resolution No. R8-2008-0019 authorizing a “Cooperative Agreement to Protect Water Quality and Encourage the Conjunctive Use of Imported Water in the Santa Ana River Basin.” The purpose of the cooperative agreement is to allow the participating parties to “…monitor and improve water quality objectives within the Santa Ana River Region in a manner that is consistent with the needs of the inhabitants of the Region for a reliable supply of water.” (Cooperative Agreement, 2008). The following Parties have entered into this cooperative agreement: California Regional Water Quality Control Board, Santa Ana Region, City of Corona, City of Riverside, City of San Bernardino Municipal Water Department, Eastern Municipal Water District, Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District, Orange County Water District, San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District (Valley District), San Gorgonio Pass Water Agency, and Western Municipal Water District of Riverside County (Western).  

Simulation of Ground-water Flow in the Mojave River Basin, California

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) | July 1st, 2001

Simulation of Water-Management Alternatives in the Mojave River Ground-Water Basin, California

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) | July 1st, 2002

Stony Creek Fan Conjunctive Water Management Plan Feasibility Investigation

Glenn-Colusa Irrigation District | February 15th, 2004