Banking Groundwater in California: Who Owns the Aquifer Storage Space?

California, struggle with augmenting its scarce water resources. Yet, new surface water storage reservoirs are often too expensive or environmentally controversial. Thus, water managers are increasingly seeking opportunities to expand water supply and improve reliability without resorting to costly new projects or litigation over existing resources. Banking actively recharged groundwater is an innovative water management strategy that can be environmentally benign and cost-efficient. In principle, groundwater banking is a simple and elegant way to create new water supplies: capture surface water when it is surplus to current demands, store it in empty space in underground aquifers, and pump it out and transfer it when and where water is scarce.