Category: Organization Type

CA Nevada River Forecast Center

February 13, 2023 No Comments

NWS has played a key role in protecting American lives and properties for over a century. The timely provision of reliable weather, water, climate, and environmental information has supported the Nation’s social and economic development. NWS offices in communities across the United States and its territories, supported by regional and national centers, provide the authoritative information needed by Americans, including national, regional, state, tribal, and local authorities, to plan, prepare, mitigate, and respond to natural and human-caused events.

Replenishing Groundwater in the San Joaquin Valley

February 6, 2023 No Comments

The San Joaquin Valley—which has the biggest imbalance between groundwater pumping and replenishment in the state—is ground zero for implementing the 2014 Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA). Expanding groundwater recharge could help local water users bring their basins into balance and make a dent in the long-term deficit of nearly 2 million acre-feet per year.

The experience with recharge in 2017―the first wet year since the enactment of SGMA―offers valuable insights in how to expand recharge. A survey of valley water districts’ current recharge efforts revealed strong interest in the practice, and a number of constraints.

A Technical Framework for Increasing Groundwater Replenishment

February 6, 2023 No Comments

“A Technical Framework for Increasing Groundwater Replenishment” is a roadmap document for local agencies or groundwater sustainability agencies (GSAs) to utilize when navigating how to develop groundwater replenishment projects. This document walks readers through the current landscape of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) and provides the context that, as part of SGMA implementation, groundwater replenishment will be an important component to how sustainability is achieved under SGMA. The technical framework provides the following considerations for how to develop groundwater replenishment projects.
• Financial – scoping the capital costs, operating costs, and water supply yield and cost
• Technical – identifying the source water, infrastructure needs and constraints, method of recharge, and specific locations for direct recharge
• Institutional – developing partnerships and agreements, and navigating water rights
• Administrative – contracting, applying for permits, and securing funding

The document includes additional resources that support the development of groundwater replenishment projects, as well as case studies of entities that are piloting their own replenishment projects.

Groundwater Exchange website

February 6, 2023 No Comments

The Groundwater Exchange is a central, collaborative, and publicly accessible online resource center connecting water managers, water users, and community members with tools and resources to support the design and implementation of effective Groundwater Sustainability Plans under California’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act. ​The Groundwater Exchange is a program of the California Water Library and is a project of the Multiplier, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that helps us protect and foster a healthy, sustainable, resilient, and equitable world.

Check out the “groundwater recharge” page (https://groundwaterexchange.org/groundwater-recharge/) for resources specific to Flood-MAR.

Merced River Flood-MAR Reconnaissance Study Technical Memorandum 1 Plan of Study – Draft

February 6, 2023 No Comments

DWR, in partnership with the Merced Irrigation District (MID), is conducting a preliminary study using flood waters for managed aquifer recharge that can reduce flood risk, increase surface and groundwater supply reliability, and enhance ecosystems in the Merced River Basin. This Merced River Reconnaissance Study (study) is exploring the potential, feasibility, and effectiveness of Flood-MAR concepts, testing theories, and assessing strategies in overcoming barriers and challenges to project planning and implementation. The study will assess current conditions of the Merced River watershed and the vulnerability of these watershed management characteristics to a range of potential climate change futures. The study will also describe the public and private benefits that may be achieved through Flood-MAR strategies and quantify a range of benefits that Flood-MAR could provide in or adjacent to the Merced River watershed.

Introduction to Groundwater Recharge

February 6, 2023 No Comments

The Central Valley is one of the most productive agricultural regions in the United States. Growers and communities, however, are faced with a future of declining groundwater quality, quantity, and availability during drought, due to overdraft. In areas where soil conditions are suitable and excess water is available, ground water recharge represents one of the most cost-effective methods to increase storage, thereby ensuring water supply and improving water quality. Through this guide, California almond growers can begin evaluating their options for addressing local sub-basin overdraft through recharge, helping secure reliable, sufficient, and drought resilient groundwater supplies.

Multi-Benefit Recharge Project Methodology

February 6, 2023 No Comments

The Multi-Benefit Recharge Project Methodology Guidance Document summarizes considerations and planning that may go into designing, selecting, implementing, and monitoring a multi-benefit recharge project focused on creating suitable shorebird habitat. Projects should be customized to the specific settings and needs of each GSA in order to reach GSP sustainability goals and designed, selected, and implemented to maximize project benefits.

Building Multi-Benefit Recharge Basins

February 6, 2023 No Comments

As California faces an unpredictable water future, policy makers and water managers across the state are seeking solutions to build resilience into our water supply system. Groundwater recharge is an excellent tool to replenish depleted aquifers and bank water for future use. In addition to helping water managers balance their water budget, groundwater recharge also provides an opportunity to create habitat for wildlife. This guide highlights recharge basin management strategies that create wildlife habitat and provide operational benefits to basin managers.

Groundwater Resource Hub

February 2, 2023 No Comments

The purpose of the Groundwater Resource Hub is to help local agencies achieve sustainable groundwater management by providing the science and tools needed to help address nature’s water needs. Over time, the goal is to improve statewide and local understanding of nature’s groundwater needs to reduce uncertainties and therefore enhance sustainable groundwater management.

Groundwater dependent ecosystems (GDEs) are plant and animal communities that require groundwater to meet some or all of their water needs. California is home to a diverse range of GDEs including palm oases in the Sonoran Desert, hot springs in the Mojave Desert, seasonal wetlands in the Central Valley, perennial riparian forests along the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers, and estuaries along the coast and in the Delta. These ecosystems rely on groundwater in California’s semi-arid climate, especially during dry summers and periods of drought. GDEs provide important benefits to California including habitat for animals, water supply, water purification, flood mitigation, erosion control, recreational opportunities and general enjoyment of California’s natural landscape.

Groundwater Dependent Ecosystems under the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act

February 2, 2023 No Comments

This guidance provides a systematic and defensible approach to identify GDEs, determine whether potential effects on GDEs are occurring or may occur due to groundwater conditions, and consider GDEs when setting sustainable management criteria. This guidance recommends setting sustainable management criteria based on the conditions necessary to avoid adverse impacts to GDEs and undesirable results in the basin, especially where conservation of species and habitats within GDEs is required by other laws, such as the Endangered Species Act.

This document is designed to inform local decision making, consistent with SGMA’s emphasis on local control. Rather than prescribing approaches or outcomes, this guidance provides a flexible process meant to enable GSAs and stakeholders to make decisions based on the best available science in a manner that promotes transparency and accountability.