Most groundwater is effectively a non-renewable resource, study finds

[NeoGreen]

http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/groundwater-study-1.3318137

Most groundwater is effectively a non-renewable resource
By Emily Chung, CBC News Posted: Nov 16, 2015 11:00 AM ET| Last Updated: Nov 18, 2015 9:17 AM ET

Less than 6% of groundwater is replenished within 50 years

The water that supplies aquifers and wells that billions of people rely on around the world is, from a practical perspective, mostly a non-renewable resource that could run out in many places, a new Canadian-led study has found.

While many people may think groundwater is replenished by rain and melting snow the way lakes and rivers are, underground water is actually renewed much more slowly.

In fact, just six per cent of the groundwater around the world is replenished and renewed within a "human lifetime" of 50 years, reports University of Victoria hydrogeologist Tom Gleeson and his collaborators in a new study published in the journal Nature Geoscience today.

http://nature.com/articles/doi:10.1038/ngeo2590

To re-iterate:
Less than 6% of groundwater is replenished within 50 years

[Brother Buzz]

1. Researchers from UC Davis want to buck that trend

3.6 million acres of California farmland is suitable for recharge and that flooding it with only one foot of water could add as much as 3.5 million acre-feet of groundwater.

UC scientists test inexpensive way to capture El Niño rains
Thursday, November 12, 2015

During California's rainy months, rivers often run high and excess water flows out into the ocean.

Amid the worst drought in more than a century, all of that water lost? With an El Niño event expected to bring heavy rains this winter, isn't there an easy way to collect and store it?

Researchers from UC Davis and UC Cooperative Extension are testing a new method for capturing some of that underutilized water by diverting it from rivers into the network of canals running through Central Valley farmland. This irrigation system sits empty during the rainy months, and the scientists are looking at filling some canals with water and directing it onto suitable farmland where it can seep underground....

The team has identified 3.6 million acres of California farmland that's suitable for recharge and says that flooding it with only one foot of water could add as much as 3.5 million acre-feet of groundwater.

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http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/UC-Davis-scientist-develop-a-clever-way-to-6596426.php