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California is now collecting more groundwater data than ever before as highlighted in the Semi-Annual Groundwater Conditions Update released by the Department of Water Resources, or DWR.
Made up of groundwater data gathered over the past year from various DWR tools and annual reports from local groundwater sustainability agencies, or GSAs, the update includes information on statewide groundwater levels, groundwater storage, recharge, land subsidence, well infrastructure and the status of California’s groundwater conditions.
“When it comes to water management in California, it’s important that state and local water decisions are made with the latest, most accurate data in mind. Thanks to the information collected from our local partners, we’re gaining more knowledge about the challenges our groundwater-dependent communities are facing and their progress towards meeting the overall goals set by the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act,” said Paul Gosselin, DWR deputy director of sustainable water management.
Water Year 2024 marked a significant milestone for groundwater management in California, as the state celebrated the 10-year anniversary of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, or SGMA, the statewide regulatory framework established to ensure the sustainability of our groundwater basins by 2040.
Over the course of 2024, the state received average precipitation, helping sustain recharge efforts after the exceptionally wet 2023.
These last three years (2023, 2024, and 2025) have seen continued increases in groundwater storage. Water Year 2024 increased by 2.2 million acre-feet reported across 98 basins — a direct result of state and local actions to capture and store more water underground.
However, the first five months of WY 2025 were notably dry across much of the state, especially in the Central Valley and southern regions.
In contrast, portions of Northern California experienced above-average or record-setting rainfall. These sharp contrasts highlight California’s weather shifts and increasing need for dynamic water management.
Additional findings from the report include:
Groundwater management
Groundwater storage increased by 2.2 million acre-feet reported across the 97 basins during water year 2024. This increase reflects actions such as capturing and recharging high flows during winter storms, expanding recharge basins, improving groundwater monitoring, and coordination among local agencies to reduce groundwater pumping.
SGMA implementation
Local GSAs are executing Groundwater Sustainability Plans, or GSPs, that incorporate recharge projects, demand reduction, efficiency programs, and land use coordination.
GSAs are expanding monitoring networks and using annual reports to track key sustainability indicators such as groundwater levels, subsidence, use patterns, and recharge volumes.
DWR is investing in tools like InSAR, Airborne Electromagnetic surveys, advanced modeling, and telemetry to improve data quality and inform water management decisions.
Groundwater storage in the Central Valley remains highly sensitive to drought and wet periods.
Land subsidence
Active land subsidence continues to be observed in the Sacramento River, San Joaquin River, and Tulare Lake Hydrologic Regions. DWR continues to expand data collection on subsidence in these areas and plans to release guidance for GSAs later this year.
Dry wells
Fewer dry wells were reported in water year 2024 compared to water years 2021, 2022 and 2023.
DWR is now entering a new era of groundwater sustainability driven by action and implementation of GSPs. Throughout this process, DWR continues to provide support to help GSAs implement their plans through improved communications utilizing facilitation support for sensitive or challenging meetings, and translation services to improve critical information sharing.
Additionally, DWR will release guidance on depletions of interconnected surface water and subsidence later this year.
DWR’s goal with these two documents is to provide local groundwater sustainability partners with the information and direction they need to understand how to address the impacts of overdraft on our groundwater basins and support our water supply for future generations.
Across the state, 85 percent of Californians depend on groundwater for some portion of their water needs, with groundwater also acting as a buffer and supplying up to 60 percent of the state’s water supply during drought years.
While the water beneath our feet is unseen and often overlooked, sustainable management of this resource is critical for long-term water supply reliability.
By monitoring and tracking conditions and collecting new data, state and local agencies can better manage water resources during average and wet years to ensure groundwater will be available as a buffer during dry years.
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- Written by: LAKE COUNTY NEWS REPORTS
LAKEPORT, Calif. — The Lakeport City Council will hold a special meeting on Monday to adopt the city’s final budget of $37 million for fiscal year 2025-2026, following its budget workshop presentations held June 17.
The council will meet Monday, June 30, at 6 p.m. in the council chambers at Lakeport City Hall, 225 Park St.
The agenda can be found here.
If you cannot attend in person, and would like to speak on an agenda item, you can access the Zoom meeting remotely at this link or join by phone by calling toll-free 669-900-9128 or 346-248-7799.
The webinar ID is 973 6820 1787, access code is 477973; the audio pin will be shown after joining the webinar. Those phoning in without using the web link will be in “listen mode” only and will not be able to participate or comment.
Comments can be submitted by email to
By state law, June 30 is the city’s deadline for budget adoption.
The city’s recommended budget for fiscal year 2025-26 now sits at $37,289,272, an increase by more than 50% from the city’s 2024-25 estimated total expenditure of $24,060,022. Five years ago, it was $18,825,050.
The city’s revenue totals $31,970,097, despite lower than the recommended expenditure, showing an increase by about 100% from previous year’s revenue of $15,737,368.
The increase in revenue was not due to a growing local economy, but pumped up by special revenue funding streams such as $2.7 million from the state’s Permanent Local Housing Allocation program and $9.5 million from a federal Community Development Block Grant.
In total, these special funds came to $16,422,610, ten times the amount of $1,669,402 in 2024-25.
In the meantime, recommended General Fund allocation is $7,523,632, up from $6,285,887 last year.
Out of all expenditures proposed, salaries and benefits take up $7,288,627, increased from $6,571,328 in 2024-25.
Operation expenses take up $18,430,362, more than four times the $4,309,381 of 2024-25.
Allocations to Capital Improvement Projects, however, see a drop — from previous year’s $9,825,353 to the currently proposed $8,363,831.
The staff memo identified the “central theme” of this year’s budget: “the rapid acceleration of fixed costs outpacing revenue growth.”
The cost increase primarily stems from general liability and property insurance expenses, which have doubled over the past five years, and from rising pension obligations — significantly higher than last year and expected to double again within five years, the memo said.
Meanwhile, revenue growth remains “flat,” the staff memo noted.
Sales tax, which makes up two-thirds of Lakeport’s General Fund, has seen “modest recent gains” thanks to new retailers like Marshalls and Tractor Supply, and growth in the restaurant sector. But the memo called this core revenue source “highly volatile.”
One reason: 20% of Lakeport’s sales tax revenue comes from retail fuel sales — a source threatened as California continues its “transition away from gas-powered vehicles,” the memo said.
“The most pressing challenge facing the city of Lakeport is the steep rise in fixed operating costs — particularly in insurance, pensions, and medical benefits — which are climbing at a pace far beyond that of the City’s revenue growth,” the staff memo said.
The memo highlighted some of the city’s key goals in the upcoming fiscal year:
The city looks to finalize design and funding strategies on the South Lakeport Water Resilience and Fire Suppression project, and maintain a fully staffed police department. It also aims to complete the 2024 water and sewer main replacement — a multiple-year project that is now more than halfway completed.
Also on the list is the city’s multi-year Pavement Management Program. Projects set to be executed during fiscal year 2025-26 include rehabilitation of Lakeport Boulevard, Martin Street and Lakeshore Boulevard.
Email Lingzi Chen at
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- Written by: LINGZI CHEN
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The National Weather Service has issued a red flag warning for Monday and a fire weather watch for Tuesday due to concerns about potential fire weather conditions.
The red flag warning for northern Lake County and a portion of Northern California will be in effect from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday, with a fire weather watch to be in effect the same hours on Tuesday.
A red flag warning means that critical fire weather conditions — a combination of strong winds, low relative humidity and warm temperatures — are expected to occur and could contribute to extreme fire weather, the National Weather Service reported.
Forecasters were prompted to issue both the warning and the watch due to the potential for scattered dry lightning on Monday and Tuesday afternoon — and slighter chances of isolated thunderstorms overnight Monday into Tuesday — across the region’s interior mountains.
“A pulse of moisture moving up the Central Valley combined with very hot and dry surface conditions and moderate easterly winds will combine to create scattered dry thunderstorms over the interior mountains,” the National Weather Service forecast explained. “Any storms that do form will likely produce wetting rain in the cores but lightning is possible far from these cores in areas that will remain dry.”
The forecast also calls for gusty and erratic outflow winds — which are described as the cool winds that spread out along the ground from a thunderstorm as the air that’s been cooled by the rain descends — are possible, with speeds of up to 50 miles per hour.
In addition to the potential for thunderstorms, this week will be notable for temperatures in the high 90s during the day and mid 60s at night. Temperatures are forecast to drop into the mid 80s during the day and mid 50s at night by the weekend.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The East Region Town Hall, or ERTH, will meet on Wednesday, July 2.
The meeting will begin at 4 p.m. at the Moose Lodge, located at 15900 Moose Lodge Lane in Clearlake Oaks.
The meeting will be available via Zoom. The meeting ID is 813 6295 6146, pass code is 917658.
ERTH’s guest speakers will be Lake County Director of Water Resources Pawan Upadhyay, who will give an update on the Water Resource Department, staff and current/upcoming projects, and Sarah Ryan, environmental director at Big Valley Band of Pomo Indians, with an update on cyanobacteria/toxins sampling results and water quality in the Clearlake Oaks arm of Clear Lake.
Also on the agenda is and update and consideration of ERTH activities/projects; District 3 MAC update, including consideration of a letter of support for Middle Creek Trails and District 3 Survey results and activities to-date; commercial cannabis report and cannabis ordinance update; update on safety issues on High Valley Road; Spring Valley updates; and a report on CalRecycle/County Free Dump Days in Clearlake Oaks.
ERTH’s next meeting will take place on Aug. 6.
Members are Angela Amaral, Jim Burton, Holly Harris, Maria Kann and Denise Loustalot.
For more information visit the group’s Facebook page.
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- Written by: LAKE COUNTY NEWS REPORTS