Water Quality in Basin-Fill Aquifers of the Southwestern United States: Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah, 1993–2009

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) | July 15th, 2014

Water-Resources Data for the Devils Hole Area, Nye County, Nevada, July 1978 - September 1988

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) | July 1st, 1993

Data on water levels, spring discharge, and consumption of electric power by irrigation pumps collected at Devils Hole and vicinity from July 1978 through September 1988

Data on water levels, spring discharge, and consumption of electric power by irrigation pumps collected at Devils Hole and vicinity from July 1978 through September 1988 are reported herein. These data were collected to document the effects of irrigation pumping on the pool level at Devils Hole and the recovery following cessation of irrigation pumping in August 1982. The pool contains the endangered species of pupfish, Cyprinodon diabolis. Data on fluctuations in water level and springflow are presented in graphic form. Data on consumption of electric power by pumps in irrigation wells, useful as an index of the pumpage, are presented in tabular form.

Westside Subbasin Groundwater Sustainability Plan

Westlands Water District | January 23rd, 2020

Wet Antecedent Soil Moisture Increases Atmospheric River Streamflow Magnitudes Nonlinearly

American Meteorological Society (AMS) | June 4th, 2025

Atmospheric rivers (ARs) drive most riverine floods on the U.S. West Coast. However, estimating flood risk based solely on AR intensity and duration is challenging becaus

Atmospheric rivers (ARs) drive most riverine floods on the U.S. West Coast. However, estimating flood risk based solely on AR intensity and duration is challenging because precipitation phase, antecedent conditions, and physical watershed characteristics (e.g., slope and soil depth) can influence the magnitude of floods. Here, we analyze how antecedent soil moisture (ASM) conditions contribute to variability in streamflow during AR events and how that changes across climatic regimes and physiography in 122 U.S. West Coast watersheds. We identify a robust nonlinear relationship between streamflow and ASM during ARs in 89% of watersheds. The inflection point in this relationship represents a watershed-specific critical ASM threshold, above which event maximum streamflow is, on average, 2–4.5 times larger. Wet ASM conditions amplify the hydrologic impacts of more frequent but weaker, lower moisture transport AR events, while dry ASM conditions attenuate the hydrologic impacts that stronger, higher moisture transport AR events could otherwise cause. Our research shows that watersheds prone to ASM-amplified streamflows have higher evaporation ratios, lower cold-season precipitation, lower snow-to-rain ratios, and shallower, clay-rich soils. Higher evaporation and lower precipitation lead to greater ASM variability during the cold season, increasing streamflow during wet periods and buffering streamflow during dry periods. Lower snow fraction and shallower soils limit the antecedent water storage capacity of a watershed, contributing to greater sensitivity of streamflow peaks to ASM variability. Incorporating ASM thresholds into hydrologic models in these regions prone to AR-amplified streamflow could improve forecasts and decrease uncertainty.

White Wolf Subbasin Technical Report

Wheeler Ridge-Maricopa Water Storage District | March 16th, 2016

The purpose of the White Wolf Subbasin Technical Study (Study) is to support the basin boundary modification request (Request) being jointly submitted to DWR by Wheeler-R

The purpose of the White Wolf Subbasin Technical Study (Study) is to support the basin boundary modification request (Request) being jointly submitted to DWR by Wheeler-Ridge Maricopa Water Storage District (WRMWSD), Arvin-Edison Water Storage District (AEWSD), and Tejon-Castac Water District (TCWD) (collectively referred to as the Districts), in accordance with the Basin Boundary Emergency Regulations. Request is a scientific request that involves the subdivision of the Kern County Subbasin of the San Joaquin Valley Groundwater Basin (DWR Basin 5-22.14) into two separate subbasins: the Kern County Subbasin and the White Wolf Subbasin (Subbasin). As shown on Figure 1, the proposed revision divides the subbasins along the White Wolf Fault (WWF), relying upon scientific evidence that demonstrates that the WWF provides a significant impediment to groundwater flow.

Widespread and increased drilling of wells into fossil aquifers in the USA

Nature Portfolio (Springer Nature) | April 19th, 2022

Most stored groundwater is ‘fossil’ in its age, having been under the ground for more than ~12 thousand years. Mapping where wells tap fossil aquifers is relevant for

Most stored groundwater is ‘fossil’ in its age, having been under the ground for more than ~12 thousand years. Mapping where wells tap fossil aquifers is relevant for water quality and quantity management. Nevertheless, the prevalence of wells that tap fossil aquifers is not known. Here we show that wells that are sufficiently deep to tap fossil aquifers are widespread, though they remain outnumbered by shallower wells in most areas. Moreover, the proportion of newly drilled wells that are deep enough to tap fossil aquifers has increased over recent decades. However, this widespread and increased drilling of wells into fossil aquifers is not necessarily associated with groundwater depletion, emphasizing that the presence of fossil groundwater does not necessarily indicate a non-renewable water supply. Our results highlight the importance of safeguarding fossil groundwater quality and quantity to meet present and future water demands.

Widespread aquifer depressurization after a century of intensive groundwater use in USA

American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) | September 15th, 2023

Widespread potential loss of streamflow into underlying aquifers across the USA

Nature Portfolio (Springer Nature) | March 17th, 2021

Most rivers exchange water with surrounding aquifers. Where groundwater levels lie below nearby streams, streamwater can infiltrate through the streambed, reducing stream

Most rivers exchange water with surrounding aquifers. Where groundwater levels lie below nearby streams, streamwater can infiltrate through the streambed, reducing streamflow and recharging the aquifer. These ‘losing’ streams have important implications for water availability, riparian ecosystems and environmental flows, but the prevalence of losing streams remains poorly constrained by continent-wide in situ observations. Here we analyse water levels in 4.2 million wells across the contiguous USA and show that nearly two-thirds (64 per cent) of them lie below nearby stream surfaces, implying that these streamwaters will seep into the subsurface if it is sufficiently permeable. A lack of adequate permeability data prevents us from quantifying the magnitudes of these subsurface flows, but our analysis nonetheless demonstrates widespread potential for streamwater losses into underlying aquifers. These potentially losing rivers are more common in drier climates, flatter landscapes and regions with extensive groundwater pumping. Our results thus imply that climatic factors, geological conditions and historic groundwater pumping jointly contribute to the widespread risk of streams losing flow into surrounding aquifers instead of gaining flow from them. Recent modelling studies have suggested that losing streams could become common in future decades, but our direct observations show that many rivers across the USA are already potentially losing flow, highlighting the importance of coordinating groundwater and surface water policy.

Wyandotte Creek Groundwater Subbasin Groundwater Sustainability Plan

Wyandotte Creek Groundwater Sustainability Agency | December 15th, 2021

The Wyandotte Creek Subbasin lies in the eastern central portion of the Sacramento Groundwater Basin. It is bounded on the west by the Feather River and Thermalito After

The Wyandotte Creek Subbasin lies in the eastern central portion of the Sacramento Groundwater Basin. It is bounded on the west by the Feather River and Thermalito Afterbay; in the south by the Butte-Yuba County line (except for Ramirez Water District which is fully within the North Yuba Subbasin); and on the north and east by the edge of the alluvial basin as defined by DWR Bulletin 118 - Update 2003 (DWR, 2003). It is surrounded by the Butte Subbasin to the west, the Wyandotte Creek Subbasin to the north, the North Yuba Subbasin to the south and the foothills to the east (Figure ES-2). The lateral boundaries of the Wyandotte Creek Subbasin are jurisdictional in nature, and it is recognized that groundwater flows across each of the defined boundaries to some degree.

Yolo Subbasin Groundwater Agency 2022 Groundwater Sustainability Plan

Yolo Subbasin Groundwater Agency | January 24th, 2022

Yolo Subbasin Groundwater Agency's implementation of the GSP will begin in 2022 after adoption and official submission of the plan to the Department of Water Resources. T

Yolo Subbasin Groundwater Agency's implementation of the GSP will begin in 2022 after adoption and official submission of the plan to the Department of Water Resources. The YSGA intends to form Advisory Committees for each Management Area to construct a framework for on-the-ground implementation of the plan. These Advisory Committees will provide a forum for collaboration of YSGA members and stakeholders to facilitate an adaptive response to local issues and to develop the roadmap for successful plan implementation. The Advisory Committees will provide a timely response to minimum threshold exceedances or other identified concerns and prioritize local implementation of projects and management actions. Advisory Committees will be comprised of an equal representation of stakeholders, including agricultural, urban, and environmental representatives. These local committees will provide an opportunity for information sharing, innovation, and the collaborative development of adaptive management practices. Updates from the Management Area Advisory Committees, progress of project implementation, and other YSGA activities will be posted regularly on the YSGA website and will be published in an annual newsletter. This is just the beginning of ensuring sustainable management of groundwater resources in the Yolo Subbasin. The GSP is considered a living document that will be adaptively managed as we continue to use the best available science and tools to complete ground surveys and access credible and sufficient data for making effective decisions. The YSGA and the stakeholders in the Subbasin are committed to an open, transparent, and all-inclusive process to resolve important local issues related to groundwater. This is an exciting opportunity to work together to preserve this valuable community resource and ensure the well-being of Yolo County. Due to size, the GSP file has been divided into four parts. Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4