California needs more than groundwater to ensure water sustainability
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Jun 24, 2025

California needs more than groundwater to ensure water sustainability

What you need to know: Despite the Newsom Administration's efforts to increase groundwater and develop stronger partnerships with water agencies, California's water system remains unprepared for the hotter and drier future. Without the successful completion of the Delta Conveyance Project, water supplies for millions of Californians are threatened.

SACRAMENTO – Today, Governor Newsom and the Department of Water Resources released a new report showing that the state is collecting more groundwater data than ever before, and strengthening partnerships with water agencies to ensure that more groundwater is collected. While this can help the millions of Californians who rely on this water supply, it is not nearly enough. In order to continue capturing, moving, and storing enough water for all Californians, the state must complete long-delayed infrastructure projects and water system improvements, such as the Delta Conveyance Project.

"California is taking an all-in approach to its water supply — including creating more groundwater storage and data to help us plan for the future. The data doesn't lie, and it is telling us that our water system is unprepared for California's hotter and drier climate. That means we also need to build new water infrastructure like the Delta Conveyance Project. We literally cannot afford to wait to complete this vital project and Californians are sick and tired of the self-imposed roadblocks standing in the way of our state's continued progress."

Governor Gavin Newsom

More groundwater data

California is now collecting more groundwater data than ever before. A new report released today by the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) shows that groundwater storage increased by 2.2 million acre-feet during Water Year 2024 — thanks to abundant precipitation and efforts by the State and its regional partners to capture and store more high flows during winter storms in groundwater basins, expand recharge basins, improve groundwater monitoring, and better coordination amongst local agencies to reduce groundwater pumping. That's on top of significant groundwater storage increases in the previous water year.

Yet, despite this, California still lacks the water infrastructure needed to ensure the state is prepared for a hotter, drier future and to provide Californians with the water they need.

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More than ever, California must complete one of the most important water management and climate adaptation projects in state history, the Delta Conveyance Project, advancing much-needed and long-overdue improvements to the State Water Project.

Data is key to informed decisions on groundwater

The groundwater data was provided as part of DWR Semi-Annual Groundwater Conditions Update, will help state and local agencies better manage groundwater basins – a source of more than half of California's water supplies in dry years – by providing updated information on statewide groundwater levels, groundwater storage, recharge, land subsidence, and well infrastructure.

This data will continue to support groundwater recharge, which Governor Newsom has directed state agencies to maximize whenever possible.

Partnering with farmers for increased groundwater storage

Also today, Governor Newsom provided an update on the state's ongoing partnerships with groundwater sustainability agencies and farmers, through the LandFlex program, which was launched in 2022.

To address the impacts of multiyear drought in the Central Valley, DWR awarded $23.3 million in grant funding to six groundwater sustainability agencies in the Central Valley. The funding was distributed to help 52 small and mid-sized farms transition to more sustainable practices while eliminating groundwater overdraft and protecting drinking water supplies.

As a result, the program helped save over 100,000 acre-feet of groundwater, protected 16,500 drinking water wells, and reduced the over-pumping of groundwater on Central Valley farms.

Learn more about this first-of-its-kind program.

Modernizing California's water delivery infrastructure

In order to prepare for a hotter, drier future, California must also invest in the modernization of its water delivery infrastructure. That's why Governor Newsom is calling on the Legislature to fast-track the Delta Conveyance Project.

The proposed project would create much-needed and long-overdue improvements to the State Water Project, which provides water for 27 million people and 750,00 acres of farmland. It would allow the State Water Project to better capture high flows during storm events and move that water to where it's needed in the San Joaquin Valley and Southern California. It would also protect against earthquake risk.

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If the Delta Conveyance Project had been operational this past rainy season, it could have captured 952,000 acre-feet of water, enough for nearly 10 million people.

Without action, the ability of the State Water Project to reliably deliver water to homes, farms and businesses will decline. The Governor will continue working to quickly advance these improvements to ensure that California is ready for a drier and hotter future, and its communities are safe and protected.

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