How Data Is Helping An Imperiled Water District

The government is trying to help a California water district where groundwater levels have dropped more than 100 feet in some places. Local and government experts have one major asset at their disposal as they try to solve these problems: data.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) teamed up with Borrego Water District six years ago to study regional water patterns between 1945 and 2010, and issued their findings in a new report and website. “The purpose of the study was to develop a greater understanding of the hydrogeology of the Borrego Valley Groundwater Basin and to provide tools to help evaluate the potential hydrologic effects of future development,” the report said.

Researchers built a 3-D computer model of the Borrego Valley aquifer system as part of the project. The model will “help Borrego Valley water managers meet requirements” connected to new groundwater laws, the statement said.

Borrego faces deep challenges when it comes to groundwater management. “Over time, groundwater withdrawal through pumping has exceeded the amount of water that has been replenished, causing groundwater-level declines of more than 100 feet in some parts of the basin. Continued pumping has resulted in an increase in pumping lifts, reduced well efficiency, dry wells, changes in water quality, and loss of natural groundwater discharge,” according to the report.

A new website released as a part of this project explained: “The Borrego Valley Hydrologic Model was developed on the basis of historical conditions (66 years) for the analysis of the use and movement of groundwater and surface water throughout the valley, and to provide a basis for addressing groundwater availability and sustainability analyses.”

For more on how Western drought is being combated, visit Water Online’s Water Scarcity Solutions Center.