Data and Tools
We have a long history of data collection, monitoring, and reporting. With the passage of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), there is an increased need for local and state agencies and the public to easily access water data in order to make informed management decisions.
California Natural Resources Agency Open Data Platform
The CNRA Open Data Platform has been developed to provide data to State of California citizens, agencies, and interested stakeholders in a transparent and useful manner. The Open Data Platform supports the CNRA organizations’ and programs’ missions by providing an environment to publish and share useful data that can be effectively utilized by all.
DWR's SGMA Portal allows local agencies, groundwater sustainability agencies (GSAs), and watermasters to submit, modify, and view the information required by the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA). It also enables you to view submitted information and provide comments, where applicable. You don't need a login for public access.
The Water Data Library contains hydrologic data (groundwater level data and some groundwater quality data) for over 35,000 wells in California. The data is collected by DWR Region Offices and dozens of local and federal cooperators.
California Statewide Groundwater Elevation Monitoring (CASGEM) Program
California Statewide Groundwater Elevation Monitoring (CASGEM) Program - In 2009, the Legislature passed SBX7 6, which establishes, for the first time in California, collaboration between local monitoring parties and DWR to collect groundwater elevations statewide and that this information be made available to the public.
California's Groundwater Live Website
California’s Groundwater Live website features the latest groundwater information, live statistics, and a series of interactive dashboards. Content is organized based on current conditions, groundwater levels, well infrastructure, and land subsidence.
The SGMA Data Viewer provides access to groundwater related datasets that are organized by the requirements of SGMA and the Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP) regulations for the purpose of supporting GSP development and implementation.
Natural Communities Commonly Associated with Groundwater (NCCAG) Dataset Viewer
The Natural Communities (NC) dataset is a compilation of publicly available State and federal agency datasets that map vegetation, wetlands, springs, and seeps in California. The NC Dataset Viewer is undergoing an update but the data is available on Open Data.
California DWR Land Use Viewer
The CADWR Land Use Viewer allows you to easily view and download both statewide and existing county land use datasets. The application also enables you to view crop specific information and visualize land use change over time. Learn more about crop mapping at our Open Data website or view a SGMA Tech Talk webinar for a demo.
California DWR Well Completion Report Map Application
The Well Completion Report Map Application provides direct statewide access to copies of Well Completion Reports. Well Completion Reports contain information collected by drillers during the drilling and construction of water wells, including the location, dates of construction, planned use, depth of the well, subsurface geologic units encountered, well construction, and well yield.
Financial Assistance Mapping Tools
DWR’s Financial Assistance has developed three web-based mapping applications to assist local agencies and other interested parties in water management planning efforts. For additional information on Disadvantaged Communities, Economically Distressed Areas, and Water Management Planning see the Financial Assistance Mapping Tools page.
DWR’s Modeling Support Branch of the Bay-Delta Office provides ongoing support for the Integrated Water Flow Model (IWFM) code. IWFM is a water resources management and planning model that simulates groundwater, surface water, stream-groundwater interaction, and other components of the hydrologic system.
California Central Valley Groundwater-Surface Water Simulation Model (C2VSim)
C2VSim is an integrated numerical model that simulates water movement through the linked land surface, groundwater and surface water flow systems in California's Central Valley using the IWFM modeling platform.
Current Release of the Fine-Grid Version
Sacramento Valley Groundwater-Surface Water Simulation Model (SVSim)
SVSim is a new model of the Sacramento Valley using the IWFM code and based on the C2VSim-Fine Grid dataset. This model is being developed to support more detailed analysis of streamflow depletion due to groundwater substitution transfers as well as support the implementation of SGMA. SVSim will have an updated representation of the hydrogeologic conceptual model and aquifer parameters based on an extensive lithologic texture analysis. It will also have a more refined (smaller) horizontal grid along major waterways and more discretized vertical layering. A beta version of SVSim was posted on April 30, 2020. The calibrated SVSim Version 1.0 model including complete documentation is now available.
SVSim Technical Memos:
- SVSim TM-1A: Modeling Approach for C2VSim Enhancement
- SVSim TM-1B: Development of Hydrogeologic Conceptual Model and Aquifer Parameters
- SVSim TM-2: Model Grid Development
- SVSim TM-3: Model Input Data Development
- SVSim TM-4: Calibration and Sensitivity Analysis
SVSim Version 1.0 and the Beta Release, TM's, Fact Sheet, and the Sacramento Valley Texture Data can be accessed and commented on at the links below:
DWR is providing data, tools, and guidance to assist GSAs with incorporating climate change into their GSPs. This effort leverages previous work done by DWR for the California Water Commission Water Storage Investment Program (WSIP). The intent is to provide GSAs with a possible method to include climate change into their projected water budget calculations, especially if no local climate change analysis has been done before.
CNRA Open Data Platform - SGMA Climate Change Resources
The climate change resources are available through the CNRA Open Data Platform. These resources include the data, tools, and guidance in a single location and the access to download the desktop tools. These desktop tools are designed to assist users of the climate change data and processing the climate change projections to integrated hydrologic models.
Climate Change Tools
The ArcGIS tools are developed to assist users in developing projected precipitation and evapotranspiration input files for models.
The Second Order Correction Tool is to assist users in correcting streamflow timing under projected conditions.
Statewide Groundwater Level Change Summarized by Hydrologic Region "Piemaps"
Sacramento Valley Groundwater Elevation Change
Northern Sacramento Valley Groundwater Elevation Change Maps
A selected list of regional reports is presented below. Additional regional reports can be found under Bulletin 118.
California's Groundwater Update 2013: A Compilation of Enhanced Content for California Water Plan Update 2013 compiles and analyzes readily-available groundwater information to characterize California’s groundwater basins, aquifers, and well infrastructure.
The Update expands and enhances baseline groundwater information on a regional scale, identifies challenges associated with sustainable groundwater management and helps guide implementation of diverse resource management strategies. Statewide and regional findings, data gaps and recommendations to improve groundwater management also are included.
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Draft Handbook for Water Budget Development
The California Department of Water Resources (DWR) has released a draft Handbook for Water Budget Development: With or Without Models, a single-volume, technical reference that systematically presents existing information on various methods and data sources for developing water budgets. The Water Budget Handbook can help in the development of water budgets for any geographic area and time period, and uses modeling and non-modeling approaches.
For more information on the Water Budget Handbook, view the Frequently Asked Questions on the Water Budget Handbook and the Water Budget Handbook Story Map.
Public comment is now open on the draft document and closes on April 7, 2020.
Please email comments to cwpcom@water.ca.gov, attention Abdul Khan.
Proposition 68 Technical Support Projects
The Department of Water Resources (DWR) is leading eight Proposition 68-funded projects managed through the Sustainable Groundwater Management Program. These projects provide groundwater sustainability agencies, related stakeholders, and the public with regional and statewide data, tools, and analysis aligned with the technical requirements of the groundwater sustainability plan (GSP) regulations and the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA).
The projects can help GSAs successfully develop and implement GSPs. These activities also allow DWR to adequately evaluate GSPs within the statutory deadlines of SGMA. The projects will provide publicly available data to facilitate additional water management activities including groundwater recharge and conjunctive use which will contribute to drought resilience and regional sustainability. The data collection, tool development, and analysis efforts will be focused in the critically overdrafted groundwater basins and in high- and medium-priority basins across the state. Below are fact sheets for each of the projects:
Proposition 68-Funded Project Fact Sheets:
- Conduct Airborne Electromagnetic Surveys - Published 2020
- Improve Groundwater Elevation and Quality Monitoring Network - Published 2019
- Statewide Land Use Data Collection - Published 2019
- Improve Subsidence Monitoring Network - Published 2019
- Install and Maintain Stream Gauges - Published 2019
- Maintain and Enhance Statewide Well Completion Reports - Published 2019
- Manage and Report Sustainable Groundwater Information - Published 2019 (Includes planned timeline for projects)
- Enhance and Maintain DWR’s Modeling Tools - Published 2019
For information on the Sustainable Groundwater Management Grant Program, please visit the Sustainable Groundwater Management Grant Program webpage.
DWR is providing the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) Water Year Type Dataset to assist GSAs with their GSP water budget development, as stated in the GSP Regulations (23 CCR Section 354.18). The use of the Dataset is optional as GSAs may utilize data of comparable quality.
CNRA Open Data Platform – SGMA Water Year Type Dataset
The SGMA Water Year Type Dataset is available for download through the CNRA Open Data Platform. The dataset provides the water year types for 98 HUC-8 watersheds from WY 1931 through WY 2018.
SGMA Water Year Type Dataset Development Report
This report describes the background of the implementation of water year type classifications in California and process used to develop the SGMA Water Year Type Dataset. The SGMA Water Year Type Dataset has been developed to assist GSAs in the development of their Water Budget, should they choose not to develop their own water year type based on available data.
The SGMA Water Year Type Dataset can also be downloaded through the CNRA Open Data Platform.
Resources
DWR and other agencies are developing guidelines, tools, best management practices, and regulations to assist local agencies with their sustainable groundwater management planning efforts. Statewide and regional foundations, academic institutions, nonprofit organizations, and groups within and outside of California have prepared reference documents, presentations, case studies, and conceptual models intended to help local agencies make informed decisions about sustainable groundwater management. DWR makes these resources available to the public through its Sustainable Groundwater Management website; however, does so for the convenience of the user and is not responsible for its content.
Accessing Groundwater Data October 2021
The California Department of Water Resources provides assistance to locals managing groundwater resources, including datasets, tools, and online visualization platforms. The following video highlights the most recent datasets and tools available, including the newly released the California’s Groundwater Live, to understand the most current groundwater levels and conditions.
Additional DWR Resources
- California Water Commission
- DWR Office of Tribal Policy Advisor
- California Data Exchange Center (CDEC)
- California Irrigation Management Information System (CIMIS)
- Urban Water Use Efficiency Data (WUEdata)
State & Federal Resources
External & Local Agency Resources
- American Groundwater Trust
- Association of California Water Agencies
- Basin Characterization Model-USGS
- Cal-Adapt - California Climate Change Research
- California State Association of Counties
- Desert Research Institute - Hydrologic Sciences
- Groundwater Resources Association of California
- National Groundwater Association
- The Nature Conservancy Groundwater Resource Hub
- Stanfords Water in the West Program
- UC Davis Center for Watershed Sciences
- Water Education Foundation
- Water Foundation
Contact Us
General Inquiries:
sgmps@water.ca.gov
Regional Inquiries:
sgmp_rc@water.ca.gov
Basin Points of Contact:
Northern Region
North Central Region
South Central Region
Southern Region
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