Abstract
During the last two decades, California has experienced a variable climate with historically high temperatures and record low rainfall. Consequently, the State has not been able to rely upon yearly snowpack to fill reservoirs. It is predicted due to climate change these adverse conditions are the State’s new normal.
To prepare for the future, improvements are needed to sustainably manage an adequate amount of water. The Sacramento Regional Water Authority (RWA) has identified a regional water bank as an essential project for the sustainable future of the area’s groundwater. Furthermore, the RWA suggests agencies implement supply strategies such as conjunctive use or diversifying water supplies to allow for surface water use in wet years and groundwater in dry. The organization is also planning for local agencies to install aquifer storage and recovery wells to directly recharge groundwater.
The research of this project conducts an analysis of the RWA’s efforts by first modeling the current groundwater conditions within the region. The model was created in MODFLOW, a groundwater modeling software by utilizing data between 2011 and 2021. The research then creates assumptions based on future climate scenarios and tests how this would affect groundwater conditions.