Final Flood-MAR White Paper Recognizes State’s Role in Emerging Water Management Strategy

DWR recognizes the need to rehabilitate and modernize water and flood infrastructure in California.  Floodwater for Managed Aquifer Recharge, or Flood-MAR, is an emerging water management strategy that can significantly improve water resources sustainability throughout the state.

Flood-MAR’s final white paper, published by DWR on June 20, explores the opportunities to use flood water for managed aquifer recharge.

The potential and value for California is achieved by integrating Flood-MAR with other regional recharge efforts, changing management of California’s water system to better integrate surface water and groundwater, upgrading conveyance, and considering Flood-MAR’s opportunities as related to water transport and transfers.

The white paper examines the complex technical, legal, and institutional barriers and challenges affecting the planning and implementation of Flood-MAR. Overcoming these barriers and challenges will require strategies that include open dialogue, strong leadership, robust partnerships, funding, and innovative research and pilot projects.

This final white paper incorporates public comments submitted in response to a discussion of a draft of the white paper published in 2017.