Sacramento-Area Water Providers Boost Groundwater Reserves in 2024 by Regional Water Authority Apr 9, 2025 Member Submitted News The Regional Water Authority (RWA), representing nearly two dozen water providers in the Sacramento region serving 2.2 million people, announced today that local water providers banked 35,231 acre-feet of water in the Sacramento Regional Water Bank during the 2024 calendar year. This amount is equivalent to nearly 11.5 billion gallons of water—enough to serve nearly 105,700 households for a year.* The Water Bank is a network of groundwater wells, pumps, and pipelines that enable local water providers to store excess water in underground aquifers. It is estimated that the region’s aquifers can store twice the volume of water as Folsom Reservoir. The Water Bank is crucial for adapting the region’s water system to climate change, which is expected to reduce snowpack and cause more extreme droughts and floods. “Once again, water banking has proven to be an effective solution for storing water that will be available when it’s needed most,” said Jim Peifer, RWA Executive Director. “In a year with near-average conditions in the American River watershed, local water providers were still able to bank a significant amount of water to support both our communities and the environment during dry periods.” In 2024, all deposits into the aquifer were made through In-lieu recharge, the combined management of both surface water and groundwater use, resulting in the replenishment of groundwater supplies within the aquifers. Every gallon of surface water served to customers in lieu of groundwater results in water saved in the groundwater aquifer, helping to maintain sustainable groundwater supplies. In 2024, several agencies contributed to boosting groundwater levels by increasing their use of surface water and reducing reliance on groundwater to build reserves. North of the American River, the City of Sacramento and Sacramento Suburban Water District participated, along with the Carmichael Water District and California American Water. South of the American River, the Sacramento County Water Agency was also a key contributor. “These actions represent a powerful tool for us to store water during good years to protect against shortages in dry periods ahead,” said Brett Ewart, Board Chair of RWA and Supervising Engineer with the City of Sacramento. “We’re giving the same level of focus to managing surface water when it’s plentiful as we do to managing groundwater during times of scarcity.” The success of the water banking program illustrates how the Sacramento region is adapting to the impacts of climate change. Climate change is expected to bring more extreme weather patterns, with less snowpack in the Sierra, more rainfall occurring in shorter, heavier bursts and longer drought periods. For over 20 years, local water providers have successfully used in-lieu recharge and Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) to store water in the region’s groundwater aquifers. Efforts are underway to increase the capacity of the Water Bank to store up to 65,000 acre-feet of water during wet years, with future projects potentially expanding storage to 90,000 acre-feet annually, enough to supply about 270,000 households. More information about the Sacramento Regional Water Bank can be found at SacWaterBank.com. The Regional Water Authority (RWA) is a joint powers authority representing nearly two dozen water providers serving 2.2 million people in the greater Sacramento region. Formed in 2001, its primary mission is to help its members protect and enhance the reliability, availability, affordability and quality of water resources. Learn more at rwah2o.org. * One acre-foot of water is equivalent to 325,851 gallons and serves approximately three households per year.
