Following the storms recorded in California since late December 2022 and early this year, the state prepared and is capturing and storing stormwater, for which an executive order was issued to expedite the process.
Thus, the governor Gavin Newsom issued an Executive Order to help accelerate groundwater recharge, stormwater capture and conservation efforts, building on a historic $8.6 billion investment that also prioritizes reservoir storage, infrastructure improvements and more.
The actions will help preserve supplies for communities, wildlife and the environment if dry conditions return to the state.
The state said it is expanding groundwater recharge by at least 500,000 acre-feet of potential capacity, streamlining permitting and allocating $1 billion for groundwater recharge projects for 88,000 more acre-feet per year.
The state has also allocated $176 million for 67 stormwater and permitting streamlining projects to take advantage of big storms, and is supporting seven locally driven water storage projects that would expand the state’s capacity by 2.77 million acre-feet — about three times the amount of water Folsom Lake can hold. The state is working to expand the San Luis Reservoir by 135,000 acre-feet to store more storm runoff.
California is also working to modernize aging water systems across the state to safeguard long-term water reliability and help store winter storm runoff.
Building on $8.6 billion committed by Governor Newsom and the Legislature to build water resilience, the state is taking aggressive steps to prepare for the impacts of climate whiplash on California’s water supplies.
In that regard, Newsom proposes an additional $202 million for flood protection and $125 million for drought-related actions.
The current administration said it will continue to optimize water storage to meet environmental needs in the summer and allow for carryover storage for next year if spring becomes extremely dry.
It should be noted that the forecast allocation could be adjusted downwards if extreme drought conditions warrant.
Adding to this is the acceleration of investments in habitat restoration, including $52 million in grants announced last week to help restore and protect fish and wildlife habitat throughout California.
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