08-04-2026, 06:15 AM
7. California mapped the underground geology needed to place recharge projects intelligently
DWR spent approximately $12 million in Proposition 68 funding on statewide airborne electromagnetic surveys. Helicopter-mounted equipment measured subsurface electrical properties to reveal sands, gravels, clay layers and potential recharge pathways down to roughly 1,000 feet.
Between December 2021 and November 2023, DWR collected nearly 16,000 miles of data in 95 groundwater basins. By March 2024, surveys had been completed in all high- and medium-priority basins. The data were released publicly and incorporated into maps and groundwater tools intended to help agencies avoid putting expensive recharge facilities over impermeable clay or contaminated areas.
DWR then moved into a broader Basin Characterization Program, combining electromagnetic data, well logs, groundwater models and monitoring information. In August 2025 it released a subsurface viewer that allows agencies to examine aquifer structure in map and profile form.
8. It adopted policies to protect recharge land from development and contamination
The final California Water Plan Update 2023 and its September 2024 recharge-area strategy addressed a less visible problem: recharge cannot occur effectively if prime infiltration land is paved, built upon or contaminated.
The state’s recommended actions include:
These are planning guidance and local implementation tools—not a prohibition on developing all recharge land.
9. It used SGMA enforcement to restrain withdrawals and require basin recovery
Reducing pumping is not technically “recharge,” but it is indispensable to rebuilding groundwater reserves. Pouring water into an aquifer while withdrawals remain greater than inflows does not replenish the reserve.
During 2023–25, DWR completed its initial review of sustainability plans for California’s high- and medium-priority basins. Plans found inadequate were referred to the State Water Board. By 2026, 81 basins were operating under approved plans, while several inadequate basins remained under state-intervention procedures.
The Water Board designated the critically overdrafted Tulare Lake Subbasin probationary in April 2024 and the Tule Subbasin probationary in September 2024. Probation can require pumpers to meter or report extraction and pay state fees while local agencies correct deficient plans; the state may eventually impose an interim plan. Litigation temporarily constrained portions of the Tulare Lake process, but the probationary designation remained in place and implementation resumed after a December 2025 appellate decision.
10. It paid farmers to leave groundwater in the aquifer—and use the land for recharge
DWR launched the LandFlex Pilot Program in 2022, awarding $23.3 million to six Central Valley groundwater sustainability agencies. Payments went to participating farms that reduced pumping, protected nearby drinking-water wells and adopted more sustainable land practices.
DWR reports that the program:
The 100,000-acre-foot figure represents water not pumped, rather than 100,000 acre-feet newly injected into the aquifer.
11. California further simplified the process in 2025 / Executive Order N-16-25
In January 2025, the governor temporarily suspended one of section 1242.1’s procedural prerequisites in 39 drought-emergency counties: a local agency no longer had to have already adopted a specified flood-control plan or addressed flood risk in its general plan before activating the statute.
The order also directed DWR to maximize diversions of excess winter flows to storage and ordered DWR, the Water Board, Natural Resources Agency and CalEPA to identify and remove regulatory obstacles where possible. Local public notice of imminent flooding and the statute’s remaining protections continued to apply.
During 2025, the State Water Board shortened typical processing for qualifying five-year recharge permits from as much as a year to approximately four months and maintained a reduced-fee pathway. These permits let agencies operate through five successive wet seasons instead of repeatedly seeking 180-day approvals.
12. It began integrating reservoir forecasting with aquifer recharge
DWR completed Flood-MAR watershed studies for five San Joaquin tributaries—the Calaveras, Stanislaus, Tuolumne, Merced and Upper San Joaquin systems.
The studies examined FIRO-MAR, combining forecast-informed reservoir operations with managed aquifer recharge. The idea is to use improved storm forecasting to:
This remains primarily an operational-planning and investment framework, not a blanket change in reservoir rules.
13. Proposition 4 created the next major funding pool
California voters approved Proposition 4 in November 2024. It authorizes approximately $386.25 million for groundwater storage, groundwater banking, recharge and related conjunctive-use or instream-flow projects. DWR’s preliminary program design contemplates approximately:
As of August 4, 2026, most of this was not yet in constructed projects. DWR had begun workshops and guideline development; the immediate legislative direction included $3.5 million for small GSAs and $6.5 million for technical assistance, while the larger competitive solicitation was still being prepared.
14. It expanded monitoring, reporting and public groundwater data
California now publishes semiannual groundwater-condition updates and near-real-time information through California Groundwater Live. In March 2026, DWR released Bulletin 118–Update 2025, consolidating groundwater levels, storage, recharge, pumping, land subsidence, wells and local project information for 2020–24.
DWR reported that:
These totals reflect local recharge conducted under the broader state-local SGMA system; they should not be interpreted as 7.4 million acre-feet generated solely by new state programs.
Measured results—and an important accounting warning
Water Year 2023 was the standout. DWR reported:
These figures measure different things and cannot be added together. “Permitted” water is authorization; “managed recharge” is water deliberately placed underground; and “net storage increase” includes natural recharge minus pumping and groundwater discharge.
For the 2025–26 wet season, the State Water Board issued nine additional recharge permits—seven five-year and two 180-day permits—authorizing nearly 43,000 acre-feet of underground storage. Two earlier five-year permits remained active.
Overall assessment
California’s most consequential steps have been:
The state has therefore moved well beyond studies and aspirations. But the effort remains highly dependent on wet-year water availability, local conveyance capacity, suitable land, water rights, water quality and basin-level pumping reductions. The extraordinary 2023 recharge gains demonstrate what is possible; they do not establish that California’s chronically overdrafted basins have been fully replenished.
DWR spent approximately $12 million in Proposition 68 funding on statewide airborne electromagnetic surveys. Helicopter-mounted equipment measured subsurface electrical properties to reveal sands, gravels, clay layers and potential recharge pathways down to roughly 1,000 feet.
Between December 2021 and November 2023, DWR collected nearly 16,000 miles of data in 95 groundwater basins. By March 2024, surveys had been completed in all high- and medium-priority basins. The data were released publicly and incorporated into maps and groundwater tools intended to help agencies avoid putting expensive recharge facilities over impermeable clay or contaminated areas.
DWR then moved into a broader Basin Characterization Program, combining electromagnetic data, well logs, groundwater models and monitoring information. In August 2025 it released a subsurface viewer that allows agencies to examine aquifer structure in map and profile form.
8. It adopted policies to protect recharge land from development and contamination
The final California Water Plan Update 2023 and its September 2024 recharge-area strategy addressed a less visible problem: recharge cannot occur effectively if prime infiltration land is paved, built upon or contaminated.
The state’s recommended actions include:
- Mapping existing and potential recharge areas.
- Providing those maps to land-use agencies.
- Incorporating recharge protection into city and county general plans.
- Using zoning and ordinances to preserve suitable land.
- Preventing pesticides, animal waste, septic leakage and hazardous substances from contaminating infiltration areas.
- Using agricultural land repurposing to maintain recharge capacity.
- Integrating stormwater, floodplain, watershed and groundwater planning.
These are planning guidance and local implementation tools—not a prohibition on developing all recharge land.
9. It used SGMA enforcement to restrain withdrawals and require basin recovery
Reducing pumping is not technically “recharge,” but it is indispensable to rebuilding groundwater reserves. Pouring water into an aquifer while withdrawals remain greater than inflows does not replenish the reserve.
During 2023–25, DWR completed its initial review of sustainability plans for California’s high- and medium-priority basins. Plans found inadequate were referred to the State Water Board. By 2026, 81 basins were operating under approved plans, while several inadequate basins remained under state-intervention procedures.
The Water Board designated the critically overdrafted Tulare Lake Subbasin probationary in April 2024 and the Tule Subbasin probationary in September 2024. Probation can require pumpers to meter or report extraction and pay state fees while local agencies correct deficient plans; the state may eventually impose an interim plan. Litigation temporarily constrained portions of the Tulare Lake process, but the probationary designation remained in place and implementation resumed after a December 2025 appellate decision.
10. It paid farmers to leave groundwater in the aquifer—and use the land for recharge
DWR launched the LandFlex Pilot Program in 2022, awarding $23.3 million to six Central Valley groundwater sustainability agencies. Payments went to participating farms that reduced pumping, protected nearby drinking-water wells and adopted more sustainable land practices.
DWR reports that the program:
- Enrolled 4,474 acres on 52 farms.
- Preserved more than 100,000 acre-feet of groundwater.
- Protected approximately 16,500 drinking-water wells.
- Redirected excess 2023 floodwater onto some fallowed land for recharge.
- Reduced pumping near the California Aqueduct to limit subsidence.
The 100,000-acre-foot figure represents water not pumped, rather than 100,000 acre-feet newly injected into the aquifer.
11. California further simplified the process in 2025 / Executive Order N-16-25
In January 2025, the governor temporarily suspended one of section 1242.1’s procedural prerequisites in 39 drought-emergency counties: a local agency no longer had to have already adopted a specified flood-control plan or addressed flood risk in its general plan before activating the statute.
The order also directed DWR to maximize diversions of excess winter flows to storage and ordered DWR, the Water Board, Natural Resources Agency and CalEPA to identify and remove regulatory obstacles where possible. Local public notice of imminent flooding and the statute’s remaining protections continued to apply.
During 2025, the State Water Board shortened typical processing for qualifying five-year recharge permits from as much as a year to approximately four months and maintained a reduced-fee pathway. These permits let agencies operate through five successive wet seasons instead of repeatedly seeking 180-day approvals.
12. It began integrating reservoir forecasting with aquifer recharge
DWR completed Flood-MAR watershed studies for five San Joaquin tributaries—the Calaveras, Stanislaus, Tuolumne, Merced and Upper San Joaquin systems.
The studies examined FIRO-MAR, combining forecast-informed reservoir operations with managed aquifer recharge. The idea is to use improved storm forecasting to:
- Release reservoir water strategically when appropriate.
- Create room for incoming floodwater.
- Time releases so downstream districts can convey water to fields and basins.
- recharge groundwater without compromising flood control, ecosystems or other water uses.
This remains primarily an operational-planning and investment framework, not a blanket change in reservoir rules.
13. Proposition 4 created the next major funding pool
California voters approved Proposition 4 in November 2024. It authorizes approximately $386.25 million for groundwater storage, groundwater banking, recharge and related conjunctive-use or instream-flow projects. DWR’s preliminary program design contemplates approximately:
- $320 million for SGMA implementation grants.
- $20 million for renewed FDRE assistance.
- $20 million for underrepresented-community technical assistance.
- Additional allocations for conveyance and related programs.
As of August 4, 2026, most of this was not yet in constructed projects. DWR had begun workshops and guideline development; the immediate legislative direction included $3.5 million for small GSAs and $6.5 million for technical assistance, while the larger competitive solicitation was still being prepared.
14. It expanded monitoring, reporting and public groundwater data
California now publishes semiannual groundwater-condition updates and near-real-time information through California Groundwater Live. In March 2026, DWR released Bulletin 118–Update 2025, consolidating groundwater levels, storage, recharge, pumping, land subsidence, wells and local project information for 2020–24.
DWR reported that:
- It had allocated more than $500 million in groundwater planning and implementation grants.
- Local agencies had assembled more than 1,500 projects and management actions.
- Reported managed recharge totaled approximately 7.4 million acre-feet during water years 2022–24, averaging about 2.5 million acre-feet annually.
These totals reflect local recharge conducted under the broader state-local SGMA system; they should not be interpreted as 7.4 million acre-feet generated solely by new state programs.
Measured results—and an important accounting warning
Water Year 2023 was the standout. DWR reported:
- 4.1 million acre-feet of managed recharge.
- An 8.7-million-acre-foot increase in groundwater storage.
- More than 1.2 million acre-feet authorized through state permits.
- More than 400,000 acre-feet recharged using the governor’s emergency orders.
These figures measure different things and cannot be added together. “Permitted” water is authorization; “managed recharge” is water deliberately placed underground; and “net storage increase” includes natural recharge minus pumping and groundwater discharge.
For the 2025–26 wet season, the State Water Board issued nine additional recharge permits—seven five-year and two 180-day permits—authorizing nearly 43,000 acre-feet of underground storage. Two earlier five-year permits remained active.
Overall assessment
California’s most consequential steps have been:
- Making floodwater recharge legally and administratively easier, first through executive orders and then Water Code section 1242.1.
- Creating a five-year permit regime so projects are ready before storms arrive.
- Putting hundreds of millions of dollars into local recharge, conveyance, recycled-water and aquifer-storage projects.
- Providing pumps, screens and land preparation, not merely planning grants.
- Mapping the subsurface so recharge facilities can be placed where water will actually infiltrate.
- Constraining groundwater withdrawals through SGMA and LandFlex.
- Establishing a new Proposition 4 funding pipeline for the next generation of projects.
The state has therefore moved well beyond studies and aspirations. But the effort remains highly dependent on wet-year water availability, local conveyance capacity, suitable land, water rights, water quality and basin-level pumping reductions. The extraordinary 2023 recharge gains demonstrate what is possible; they do not establish that California’s chronically overdrafted basins have been fully replenished.
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