Y-S groundwater levels see improvement

Region in ‘better shape’ after 2017 rains

Participants in the 138th Annual Bok Kai Festival’s Bomb Day event in downtown Marysville leap to grab a ring shot up some 30 feet in the air.

Groundwater levels throughout the Sacramento Valley improved as a result of last year’s rainfall. Local water managers say the Yuba-sutter area saw its fair share of improvements, some parts more so than others.

“As a whole, the groundwater levels in our region are in better shape now due to the rains from last year,” said Guadalupe Rivera, senior civil engineer for Sutter County Development Services.

When comparing levels from fall 2016 to fall 2017, groundwater levels along the eastern border of Sutter County increased – ranging anywhere from 2.5 feet to 13 feet, Rivera said. On the western border and toward the center of the county, however, levels didn’t see the same type of improvement, with some wells even seeing decreases of up to 6 feet.

“When comparing groundwater level change from spring 2012 to spring 2017, we are still in an overall decrease in groundwater levels, ranging anywhere from 2.5 feet to 10 feet,” Rivera said. “However, last year’s rain really helped reduce the difference.”

Alex Boesch, public information specialist for the Yuba County Water Agency, said groundwater levels in Yuba County increased substantially last winter, with many of the county’s wells reaching their

highest levels on record.

“Groundwater levels in Yuba County are healthy as a result of decades of active management by water managers at YCWA and local water districts,” Boesch said. “This management includes the careful monitoring of groundwater levels and the use of surface water supplies to meet much of the agricultural water needs in the county.”

Groundwater is used for agricultural purposes and for drinking water. According to YCWA, groundwater is the sole source of municipal water for 80 percent of Yuba County’s population.