By , , ,

Groundwater resources play a crucial role in the Santa Clara Valley (SCV) where almost half of the water used is pumped from aquifers. This reliance on groundwater is expected to increase in the future with climate change increasing the frequency and intensity of droughts, and thus, reducing the surface water resources. As such, any tool that helps to better manage the groundwater resources in the SCV can be extremely beneficial. In this presentation, we demonstrate InSAR as a viable tool which can help with better management of groundwater extraction, storage, and recharge assessing the success of managed aquifer recharge. We first demonstrate that groundwater dynamics in deep aquifer layers below 120 m mainly drive vertical deformation in the SCV. We then build on this strong correlation to calibrate the aquifer’s mechanical properties using InSAR data. The calibrated aquifer mechanical properties, along with the InSAR data, can then be used to quantify the impact of droughts on groundwater depletion in the SCV at a high spatial and temporal resolution (i.e., 100 m and weekly). We also examine the impact of the most recent California droughts on groundwater depletion and subsidence in the SCV. We show that, from 2019 to 2021, Santa Clara County subsided up to 30 mm, and groundwater levels dropped by as much as 18 m. We show that the subsidence caused by groundwater depletion during the drought remained elastic (recoverable) thanks to the managed aquifer recharge by the SCV Water District. Our results demonstrate how InSAR data can provide helpful information for the operational management of groundwater resources and ensure recoverable land subsidence, particularly during severe drought.