Friday January 20, 2023
California Department of Water Resources —
The wet winter storms in January 2023 have brought a lot of water that has the potential to be stored underground to replenish groundwater basins and help mitigate prolonged drought effects. Extended and extreme periods of drought driven by climate change have placed a high demand on groundwater resources, and the last three consecutive years of drought have led to declining groundwater levels throughout the state.
Groundwater is a critical component of California’s water storage, accounting for up to 60 percent of the state’s total water supply during dry conditions. During the recent series of storms across California, groundwater recharge is taking place naturally where water seeps into the ground, greatly benefiting our unseen aquifers.
Groundwater is heavily relied upon by communities, agriculture and the environment during dry years when there is less precipitation, while during normal and wet years, groundwater basins are replenished through groundwater recharge.