California’s Department of Water Resources (DWR) announced the official launch of the Be Well Prepared program, which will provide information and resources for well owners, well users, and local agencies to affects to groundwater supplies and drinking water wells.
While California’s surface water conditions have greatly improved thanks to recent storms, many communities across the state that rely on groundwater basins are still experiencing drinking water impacts from three years of extreme drought.
The Being Well Prepared program will help well owners, as well as state and local agencies, to understand local groundwater conditions, identify areas where drinking water supplies may be at risk and know how to access and allocate assistance when and where it is needed.
“Eighty-five percent of Californians depend on groundwater for some portion of their drinking water supply, yet most people have little understanding of this vital resource,” said DWR’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Office Deputy Director Paul Gosselin. “The Be Well Prepared program will bring increased awareness to groundwater as an important drinking water supply. It is of critical importance that well owners understand their water supply and that the state and local drought response agencies provide consistent and coordinated assistance.”
Groundwater basins across the state are heavily relied upon during drought — accounting for up to 60 percent of the state’s total water supply during dry years — and still have a long way to go to recover from decades of overuse. The state is proactively planning for dry conditions that will eventually return, including anticipating potential impacts to groundwater supplies and drinking water wells.
Through the Be Well Prepared program, DWR is providing information and resources that will be shared and coordinated with well owners, other state agencies and local agencies that serve in a drought response capacity. These resources will help well owners:
- Understand the groundwater system
- Understand their water supply
- Understand their household well – how it is constructed, how it works, and how to maintain it
- Know water levels and water quality at their household well and in their neighborhood and region, including current conditions and long-term trends
- Understand effects of drought on groundwater and the importance of conservation
- Know who to contact for help if a household well issue occurs
- Understand the importance of managing groundwater sustainably for long-term water resiliency
The state is working to expand groundwater recharge by at least 500,000 acre-feet in potential capacity as part of its Water Supply Strategy, and is taking actions to capture and store runoff from the historic winter storms.
