California reports the first increase in groundwater supplies in 4 years

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — After massive downpours flooded California’s rivers and packed mountains with snow, the state has reported the first increase in groundwater supplies in four years. California’s Department of Water Resources said Monday the state saw 4.1 million acre-feet of managed groundwater recharge in the water year ending in September. Much of the state’s population counts on groundwater for drinking water in their homes, and farmers that grow much of the country’s food rely on the precious resource for crops. California has been seeking to step up groundwater recharge with ever-drier years expected from climate change and enacted a law a decade ago to regulate groundwater pumping.