With California facing a severe drought and an increased reliance on the State’s groundwater basins, today the Department of Water Resources (DWR) released the final version of California’s Groundwater – Update 2020. The report, also known as Bulletin 118, contains critical information about the condition and use of the state’s groundwater, which is especially important as California faces the real-time impacts of climate change and drought.

“Groundwater plays a central role in sustaining our state’s ecosystems, businesses, agriculture, and people, with some Californians relying solely on groundwater for drinking water,” said DWR Director Karla Nemeth. “The updated California’s Groundwater provides key information for the state and locals to better understand and manage groundwater as we adapt to variations in climate and navigate a historic drought.”

This version of California’s Groundwater provides a comprehensive look at statewide groundwater conditions and activities, including implementation of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) and the framework it provides to share information as locals work to improve groundwater management. It also focuses on 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.

Continue reading the release from the CA Department of Water Resources here.