Opinion: Groundwater recharge in California’s San Joaquin Valley
The San Joaquin Valley recently received some good news about its groundwater: We are replenishing more of it whenever we have the chance. Comparing two recent wet years — 2017 to 2023 — the volume of water returned to the Valley’s groundwater aquifers through recharge increased by 17%. This finding, released by the Public Policy Institute of California, validates the hard work of all those who helped move the needle on groundwater recharge in the past six years. But we can’t let our foot off the gas now. The partnerships forged, research conducted, policies developed, risks taken and hours spent in the field charted the course for 2023’s positive momentum, and we must keep going to realize the full potential of recharge in California.
– By Ashley Boren, CEO of Sustainable Conservation.