News & Insights: Sustainable Groundwater

Get insights and analysis from Water in the West researchers as well as the latest news about new Stanford water research and events focusing on western water issues.

June 05, 2023  | Stanford News  | News

Scientists have long suspected that the weight of snow and ice in nearby mountains could throw off groundwater assessments tied to elevation changes in California’s Central Valley, but they lacked a way to quantify the effect. A new study demonstrates a solution.

September 06, 2022  | Water in the West  | News

Tom Johnson

The San Joaquin Valley Cooperative Action Project, a broad-based coalition representing diverse groups of water users, seeks to change how the valley uses water.

June 02, 2022  | Stanford Earth Matters Magazine  | News

Josie Garthwaite

A Stanford University study simulates 65 years of land subsidence, or sinking, caused by groundwater depletion in California’s San Joaquin Valley. The results suggest significant sinking may continue for centuries after water levels stop declining but could slow within a few years if aquifers recover.

October 27, 2021  | Water in the West  | News

Rob Jordan

Stanford water experts discuss lessons learned from previous droughts, imperatives for infrastructure investment and pathways for the state to achieve dramatically better conservation and reuse of its most precious resource.

April 21, 2021  | Water in the West  | News

Michelle Horton

Using a new computer framework, scientists are able to project future floodwaters under a changing climate. The approach could help California water managers plan for and redirect floodwaters toward groundwater aquifers, alleviating both flood and drought risks.

April 08, 2021  | CalMatters  | News

While California’s landmark Sustainable Groundwater Management Act promised comprehensive protection of the state’s groundwater, significant gaps remain in its coverage.

December 04, 2020  | Stanford Woods Institute  | News

Devon Ryan

Stanford researchers, in collaboration with groundwater managers, are leading an airborne survey effort to investigate where water from the Sierra Nevada Mountains could recharge groundwater aquifers in California’s Central Valley.

September 01, 2020  | Water Foundation  | News

The Water Foundation shares research briefs outlining the results of examining farmers’ perspectives on SGMA, water management practices and policy preferences.

August 31, 2020  | Water in the West  | News

Michelle Horton

As California works to sustainably manage groundwater resources, new research identifies how scientifically informed coordination between conservation and farming communities can benefit both.

June 11, 2020  | Water in the West  | News

Michelle Horton

New research examines the evolution of groundwater governance in the state and finds additional interventions may lie ahead if basin management plans cannot meet sustainability goals.

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