Move FM Global News

SACRAMENTO, California: After California’s rivers and mountains were filled with water and snow, on May 6, the state reported the first increase in groundwater supplies in four years.

California’s Department of Water Resources said that in the water year ending in September, the state witnessed 4.1 million acre-feet of managed groundwater recharge and an 8.7 million acre-feet increase in groundwater storage.

In a statement, Paul Gosselin, deputy director of sustainable water management for the agency, said, “The impressive recharge numbers in 2023 are the result of hard work by the local agencies combined with dedicated efforts from the state, but we must do more to be prepared to capture and store water when the wet years come.”

California has been seeking to increase groundwater recharge after years of drier-than-expected weather caused by climate change. Much of the state’s population relies on groundwater for drinking water in their homes.

Californians pumped groundwater from wells for many years without measuring how much they took. Still, after some wells ran dry and land began sinking, the state adopted a law requiring local communities to start measuring and regulating groundwater pumping.

California water officials noted in the report that some areas where land had been sinking saw a rebound as users pumped less groundwater since more surface water was available following the rains.

The report added that the state extracted 9.5 million acre-feet of groundwater during the last water year, down from 17 million a year before.