Global aquifers dominated by fossil groundwaters but wells vulnerable to modern contamination

Nature Portfolio (Springer Nature) | July 25th, 2017

The vulnerability of groundwater to contamination is closely related to its age. Groundwaters that infiltrated prior to the Holocene have been documented in many aquifers

The vulnerability of groundwater to contamination is closely related to its age. Groundwaters that infiltrated prior to the Holocene have been documented in many aquifers and are widely assumed to be unaffected by modern contamination. However, the global prevalence of these ‘fossil’ groundwaters and their vulnerability to modern-era pollutants remain unclear. Here we analyse groundwater carbon isotope data (12C, 13C, 14C) from 6,455 wells around the globe. We show that fossil groundwaters comprise a large share (42–85%) of total aquifer storage in the upper 1?km of the crust, and the majority of waters pumped from wells deeper than 250m. However, half of the wells in our study that are dominated by fossil groundwater also contain detectable levels of tritium, indicating the presence of much younger, decadal-age waters and suggesting that contemporary contaminants may be able to reach deep wells that tap fossil aquifers. We conclude that water quality risk should be considered along with sustainable use when managing fossil groundwater resources.

Gone with the flow

Bay Institute | August 1st, 2010

The Bay Institute's primer Gone with the Flow describes in plain language how runoff flowing from the mountain watersheds ringing California’s Central Valley provided c

The Bay Institute's primer Gone with the Flow describes in plain language how runoff flowing from the mountain watersheds ringing California’s Central Valley provided coldwater paradises for salmon returning to their native streams; turned lowland rivers and their floodplains into a rich source of food and shelter for young fish; mingled in the Delta’s complex maze of marshes and sloughs; and created a vast expanse of brackish water habitat essential for estuarine creatures in the upper reaches of San Francisco Bay. The primer also explains how the lack of access to most upland streams now forces migratory fish to cope with undesirable, often lethal flow conditions; how runoff in lowland rivers has been shifted from spring to summer, or even almost completely cut off in the San Joaquin basin, with disastrous consequences for the environment; how reverse flows in Delta channels kill hundreds of millions of aquatic organisms each year; and how the Bay is now in a permanent ecological drought because of the diversion of half its freshwater inflow.

Good Samaritan Remediation of Abandoned Hardrock Mines Act of 2024

U.S. Government Publishing Office (GPO) | December 17th, 2024

To promote remediation of abandoned hardrock mines.

To promote remediation of abandoned hardrock mines.

Grassland Groundwater Sustainability Agency Groundwater Sustainability Plan

Grassland Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GGSA) | January 17th, 2020

*Cover gives draft date of December but consulting engineer signature is for 1/17/2020

*Cover gives draft date of December but consulting engineer signature is for 1/17/2020

Gravelley Ford Water District Groundwater Sustainability Plan

Gravelly Ford Water District (GFWD) | August 12th, 2019

Green Infrastructure Planning for North Richmond Pump Station Watershed with Green Plan-IT

San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) | November 1st, 2018

Contra Costa County and the City of Richmond, via the San Francisco Municipal Regional Stormwater Permit (MRP), are required to develop and implement a Green Infrastructu

Contra Costa County and the City of Richmond, via the San Francisco Municipal Regional Stormwater Permit (MRP), are required to develop and implement a Green Infrastructure (GI) Master Plan to reduce mercury and PCB loads in stormwater runoff from each jurisdiction. This project used GreenPlan-IT, a planning tool developed by the San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) and regional partners, to identify feasible and cost-effective GI locations within the North Richmond Pump Station watershed (an unincorporated community of Contra Costa County and partial jurisdiction of the City of Richmond) to support the development of GI Plans for permit compliance. 

Green Infrastructure Planning for the City of Oakland with GreenPlan-IT

San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) | July 2nd, 2018

The City of Oakland, via the San Francisco Municipal Regional Stormwater Permit (MRP), is required to develop and implement a Green Infrastructure (GI) Master Plan to red

The City of Oakland, via the San Francisco Municipal Regional Stormwater Permit (MRP), is required to develop and implement a Green Infrastructure (GI) Master Plan to reduce stormwater mercury and PCB loads. This project used GreenPlan-IT, a planning tool developed by the San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) and regional partners, to identify feasible and cost-effective GI locations within the City boundary to support the development of GI Plans for permit compliance.  GreenPlan-IT comprises four distinct tools: (a) a GIS-based Site Locator Tool that combines the physical properties of different GI types with local and regional GIS information to identify and rank potential GI locations; (b) a Modeling Tool that is built on SWMM5 to establish baseline conditions and quantify anticipated runoff and pollutant load reductions from GI implementation; (c) an Optimization Tool that uses an evolutionary algorithm to identify the best combinations of GI types and numbers of sites within a study area for achieving flow and load reduction goals; and (d) a Tracker Tool that tracks GI implementation and reports the cumulative programmatic outcomes for regulatory compliance and other communication needs. 

Green Infrastructure Planning for the City of Richmond with GreenPlan-IT

San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) | November 1st, 2018

The City of Richmond, via the San Francisco Municipal Regional Stormwater Permit (MRP), is required to develop and implement a Green Infrastructure (GI) Master Plan to re

The City of Richmond, via the San Francisco Municipal Regional Stormwater Permit (MRP), is required to develop and implement a Green Infrastructure (GI) Master Plan to reduce stormwater mercury and PCB loads. This project used GreenPlan-IT, a planning tool developed by the San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) and regional partners, to identify feasible and cost-effective GI locations within the City boundary to support the development of GI Plans for permit compliance.  GreenPlan-IT comprises four distinct tools: (a) a GIS-based Site Locator Tool that combines the physical properties of different GI types with local and regional GIS information to identify and rank potential GI locations; (b) a Modeling Tool that is built on SWMM5 to establish baseline conditions and quantify anticipated runoff and pollutant load reductions from GI implementation; (c) an Optimization Tool that uses an evolutionary algorithm to identify the best combinations of GI types and numbers of sites within a study area for achieving flow and load reduction goals; and (d) a Tracker Tool that tracks GI implementation and reports the cumulative programmatic outcomes for regulatory compliance and other communication needs. 

Green Infrastructure Planning for the City of Sunnyvale with GreenPlan-IT

San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) | July 2nd, 2018

The City of Sunnyvale, via the San Francisco Municipal Regional Stormwater Permit (MRP),is required to develop and implement a Green Infrastructure (GI) Master Plan to re

The City of Sunnyvale, via the San Francisco Municipal Regional Stormwater Permit (MRP),is required to develop and implement a Green Infrastructure (GI) Master Plan to reduce stormwater mercury and PCB loads. This project used GreenPlan-IT, a planning tool developed by the San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) and regional partners, to identify feasible and cost-effective GI locations within the City boundary to support the development of GI Plans for permit compliance.  GreenPlan-IT comprises four distinct tools: (a) a GIS-based Site Locator Tool that combines the physical properties of different GI types with local and regional GIS information to identify and rank potential GI locations; (b) a Modeling Tool that is built on SWMM5 to establish baseline conditions and quantify anticipated runoff and pollutant load reductions from GI implementation; (c) an Optimization Tool that uses an evolutionary algorithm to identify the best combinations of GI types and numbers of sites within a study area for achieving flow and load reduction goals; and (d) a Tracker Tool that tracks GI implementation and reports the cumulative programmatic outcomes for regulatory compliance and other communication needs. 

Green Plan-IT Application Report for the East Bay Corridors Initiative

San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) | November 1st, 2018

Regional planning of Green Infrastructure (GI) is an important aspect of building in or retrofitting GI and other green spaces across municipal jurisdictions. This level

Regional planning of Green Infrastructure (GI) is an important aspect of building in or retrofitting GI and other green spaces across municipal jurisdictions. This level of planning allows for GI to be implemented according to natural boundaries and builds important partnerships across municipalities. The East Bay Corridors Initiative is a unique partnership across 13 jurisdictions, county and regional agencies, as well as community groups and businesses to plan new housing, create job opportunities, and improve parks and streets with linkages to essential services (ABAG 2016). The Initiative covers a large swath of the East Bay of San Francisco Bay, CA from Rodeo in the North to Union City in the South and focuses on Priority Development Areas (PDAs) and transportation linkages. In addition to the above focus, the Initiative will also look at opportunities for GI implementation across the Corridor. The Resilience priority within the Initiative focuses on sustainable infrastructure including regional GI implementation, green streets, and stormwater/flooding mitigation (ABAG 2016). The objective of this project was to use GreenPlan-IT, a planning tool developed by the San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI), to identify feasible GI locations within the East Bay Corridor footprint. Results from the application of the Site Locator Tool will be used to: 1) identify potential green infrastructure projects for the Corridor’s sustainable infrastructure planning efforts, including the development of information for municipal and regional GI Master Plans and Stormwater Resources Plans; and 2) potentially help comply with municipal Stormwater Permit requirements.  GreenPlan-IT is a planning level tool that was developed over the past five years with strong Bay Area stakeholder consultation and designed to support the cost-effective selection and placement of green infrastructure in urban watersheds through a combination of GIS analysis, watershed modeling, optimization techniques, and data visualization. Structurally, GreenPlan-IT comprises four standalone tools: (a) a GIS-based Site Locator Tool that combines the physical properties of different GI types with local and regional GIS information to identify and rank potential GI locations; (b) a Modeling Tool that is built on EPA’s SWMM5 (Rossman, 2010) to establish baseline conditions and quantify anticipated runoff and pollutant load reductions from GI sites; (c) an Optimization Tool that uses a cost-benefit analysis to identify the best combinations of GI types and number of sites within a study area for achieving flow and/or load reduction goals; and (d) a tracker tool that is used to track GI implementation and report the cumulative programmatic outcomes for regulatory compliance and other communication needs. The Toolkit package, consisting of the software, companion user manuals, and demonstration report, is available on the GreenPlan-IT web site hosted by SFEI.