IN CASE YOU MISSED ITLos Angeles Times: Flush with rain, California plans to replenish drought-depleted groundwater with floodwatersBy Ian JamesMarch 11, 2023https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2023-03-11/california-will-use-floodwater-to-recharge-groundwaterWith torrential rains drenching California, state water regulators have endorsed a plan to divert floodwaters from the San Joaquin River to replenish groundwater that has been depleted by heavy agricultural pumping during three years of record drought. Some of the water will also be routed to wildlife refuges along the San Joaquin River starting next week, officials said. “We are taking steps to maximize groundwater recharge in a way that the state of California has never really done before,” said Erik Ekdahl, deputy director of the State Water Board’s water rights division. The state order allows the federal government to deliver floodwater from the Mendota Pool, a small reservoir on the San Joaquin River, to be used for replenishing groundwater. Some floodwaters will also pour into wildlife refuges, among them the San Luis National Wildlife Refuge, Mendota Wildlife Area and Los Banos Wildlife Area.

Source: Los Angeles Times March 14, 2023 00:46 UTC