California’s groundwater basins are showing signs of management progress, but the state’s underlying groundwater conditions remain stressed, with long-term declines, storage losses and renewed land subsidence persisting after two wet years, according to a new Department of Water Resources report.
DWR’s latest semiannual groundwater update says the 2025 water year marked a shift back toward drier and more volatile conditions after the previous two wet years. Northern California saw average to above-average precipitation, while much of Southern California remained dry. Early 2026 brought another warning sign, with near- to above-average precipitation through February followed by a warm, dry March that cut the peak snowpack to about 18% of average, limiting spring runoff and groundwater recharge opportunities.
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The short-term groundwater picture was mixed. From fall 2024 to fall 2025, 71% of monitored wells were relatively stable, 13% increased by more than 5 feet and 15% declined by more than 5 feet. Compared with fall 2015, nearly half of wells were up by at least 5 feet, reflecting recovery from the 2012-2016 drought. But over the longer term, DWR found that 45% of monitored wells showed declining groundwater levels from 2005-2025, while only about 10% showed increasing trends. The steepest long-term stress remained in the Tulare Lake and San Joaquin regions.
Groundwater storage also continued to lag. Central Valley storage declined by nearly 2 million acre-feet in 2025 and remains down roughly 8 million acre-feet since 2019. The Tulare region has seen the largest cumulative losses, with DWR estimating a 4 million acre-foot deficit since 2019.
Land subsidence worsened compared with the previous two wet years, particularly in the San Joaquin Valley. About 3,100 square miles sank at least somewhat in 2025, up from roughly 2,200 square miles in 2024, though still below the levels seen during the 2020-2022 drought. Two-thirds of the affected area was in the Tulare Lake region.
The report also underscores the gap between pumping and recharge. Groundwater sustainability agencies reported 13 million acre-feet of groundwater extraction in 2025, up from nearly 12 million acre-feet in 2024, while managed recharge dropped to about 1 million acre-feet from 2 million acre-feet. DWR said nearly 2,000 SGMA projects and management actions have been identified statewide, but many remain in early stages and have not yet produced measurable benefits.
