Groundwater In California

Groundwater is the lifeline to human society. Within the United States, many communities rely solely on groundwater resources for public usage and agriculture and without it would not survive. Unfortunately, the groundwater resources that have sustained the growth of the modern human population are becoming increasingly scarce. This has caused scientists and Politian’s to pay attention to what is causing this water resource to recede at such an accelerated pace and what impact humans are having on this problem. To understand the issue that society is facing regarding groundwater withdrawal, it is first important to understand exactly what groundwater is and why it is a vital resource to society. Groundwater is freshwater that is stored and transported beneath the earths surface within aquifers which are made up of a saturated layer of permeable rocks, such as gravel, sand, or even larger structures like hallowed out granite or limestone. These underground aquifers contain 30 times more freshwater than all of the worlds lakes and

In California specifically, 38 percent of the state’s water supply comes from groundwater resources with some California communities relying completely on groundwater for drinking water and agricultural needs. Just as important, groundwater also acts as a buffer to serve water needs during drought years when surface water is less abundant and available (United States Geological Survey, 2013). With California’s current drought condition and projections that the state’s population is expected to grow 14 percent by 2030 (Weiser & Reese, 2015) it is important to understand that groundwater demand and usage is likely to increase. Considering that groundwater is replenished at a very slow rate through precipitation, it is easy to see how groundwater withdrawal can become a serious