Following heavy rainfall that inundated California’s rivers and blanketed mountains with snow, the state announced on Monday its first increase in groundwater supplies in four years.
According to the California Department of Water Resources, the state witnessed 4.1 million acre-feet of managed groundwater recharge in the water year ending in September, along with an 8.7 million acre-feet rise in groundwater storage. These groundwater supplies are crucial for sustaining much of the nation’s fresh produce.
The semiannual report reflects intensified efforts by water officials during last year’s precipitation to capture water from melting snowpack in the mountains and encourage farmers to flood fields for replenishing groundwater basins.
Paul Gosselin, the agency’s deputy director of sustainable water management, highlighted the collaborative efforts between local agencies and the state, emphasizing the need for further preparations to capture and store water during wet years.
With climate change expected to bring increasingly dry conditions, California has been prioritizing groundwater recharge. The state’s population heavily relies on groundwater for household drinking water, while farmers, who cultivate a significant portion of the country’s food, depend on it for various crops ranging from carrots and almonds to berries and leafy greens.
Historically, Californians extracted groundwater from wells without regulating usage, leading to issues like land subsidence and depleted aquifers. However, the implementation of regulations mandating the measurement and management of groundwater pumping aims to ensure the sustainability of these basins.
The report also noted instances of land rebounding in areas where sinking had occurred due to reduced groundwater pumping and increased surface water availability post-rainfall. Despite this progress, the state’s groundwater extraction decreased to 9.5 million acre-feet in the last water year from 17 million acre-feet in the previous year.
While some farmers have observed improvements in well levels, prompting discussions about groundwater pumping reductions, officials caution that sustained efforts are necessary. Joaquin Contente, a dairy farmer in the San Joaquin Valley, reported well recovery but acknowledged that achieving adequate groundwater storage levels would require several more rainy years like the previous one.
