A crucial aquifer is running low, so officials are pumping in treated sewage. It’s an increasingly common strategy as heavy demand and climate change strain water supplies.
The state pumps too much groundwater, especially during droughts. Now, it's learning to refill the overdrawn bucket. "It's the simplest math in the world," says one scientist.
California needs to get to the next level in using groundwater recharge to help bring over-drafted San Joaquin Valley aquifers into sustainability, writes Ellen Hanak of the PPIC Water Policy Center and Sarge Green of the California Water Institute.
