From DWR News– Last year, federal, state, and local agencies had to pivot quickly from planning for a fourth consecutive dry year, to addressing what became a historic wet year. We witnessed unprecedented collaboration, coordination and actions to capture as much of the unexpected heavy rainfall and snow melt as possible to help reduce flood risk in vulnerable communities and recharge depleted groundwater basins. During the 2023 Water Year, more than 1.2 million acre-feet of groundwater recharge was permitted by state agencies, nearly 400,00 acre-feet of flood water was recharged using the Governor’s Executive Orders, and millions more acre-feet of managed and naturally occurring recharge was achieved. “State actions to streamline permitting and provide funding and equipment to support local agencies in 2023 were impressive, as was the work done by local agencies to expedite their projects,” said Paul Gosselin, DWR Deputy Director of Sustainable Groundwater Management. “However, these efforts required a lot of quick action and put a strain on an already complicated emergency response. Going forward, DWR is working to encourage and support local agencies to proactively prepare recharge projects prior to California’s wet season, including securing any needed permits.” (more)