Groundwater replenishment facility in the Coachella Valley.
Credit: DWR
March 15, 2021 - SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The Department of Water Resources (DWR) has released the draft California’s Groundwater – Update 2020, containing information on the condition of the state’s groundwater, which is especially important as California faces a critically dry water year. DWR encourages community members and water managers to review the publication and provide input.
“Water touches nearly every aspect of our lives. Groundwater provides drinking water to millions of Californians, sustains natural environments and farms, and helps support jobs,” said DWR Director Karla Nemeth. “The information in California’s Groundwater – Update 2020 is vital to local water agencies and communities as they work on locally driven solutions for the long-term reliability of their groundwater.”
This version of California’s Groundwater provides a comprehensive look at statewide groundwater activities, compiling technical information and data from 2003 to 2020. This bulletin recognizes the historic passage of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) in 2014 and builds a statewide framework to share new information and progress made by locals who are managing groundwater basins across the state. It also highlights emerging topics such as water markets and the impacts of climate change on groundwater and summarizes groundwater information for each of the state’s 10 hydrologic regions.
The publication contains a Highlights overview section in English and Spanish, Regional Summaries and a detailed Statewide Report, which features current knowledge of groundwater resources including information on the location, characteristics, use, management status and conditions of the state’s groundwater. The publication also presents findings and recommendations that support the future management and protection of groundwater.
This information can help communities and local water managers work together to find unique ways to manage their groundwater basins for long-term reliability and support actions being implemented as part of Governor Gavin Newsom’s2020 California Water Resilience Portfolio.
California’s Groundwater is organized to share the growing body of groundwater data that is available now and will continue to be submitted by local agencies in the future as part of the implementation of SGMA.DWR is developing a companion California’s Groundwater web-based dashboard leveraging the California Natural Resources Agency Open Data Platform to improve the access and timeliness of statewide groundwater information, making it easily available for water managers and the public to use.
DWR will present an overview of California’s Groundwater at a public webinar meeting on March 30, 2021, at noon.
A 45-day public comment period is now open on the draft report and companion web content. All comments will be reviewed and will provide valuable feedback to DWR to improve the analysis, reporting and access to California’s groundwater information. Public comments can be emailed to CalGW@water.ca.gov and will be accepted through April 26, 2021.
The final version of California’s Groundwater is expected to be released in summer 2021.
For more information, visit the California’s Groundwater webpage.
Source: DWR
