Sacramento Valley – North American
Statistics
- Basin Name
- Sacramento Valley – North American
- Basin Number
- 5-021.64
- SGMA Basin Priority
- High
- Critically Overdrafted
- No
- Hydrologic Region Name
- Sacramento River
- Counties
- Placer, Sacramento, Sutter
Basin Notes
2003: Bulletin 118 basin description
2014: CASGEM basin prioritization – high. Comments: From B118: Elevated levels of TDS, chloride, sodium, bicarbonate, boron, fluoride, nitrate, iron manganese, and arsenic may be of concern in some locations (DWR 1997). There are 3 sites with significant GW contamination in the basin. From B118: GW levels in SW Placer County and northern Sacramento County have generally declined with many wells declining at a rate of about one and one‐half feet per year for the last 40 years or more (PCWA 1999).
2016: Basin boundary modification with South Yuba 5-021.64
2016: revised basin boundary description
2018: Draft basin priority – high. 1) CASGEM/WDL/GWIDS: Longterm hydrographs show groundwater level decline. Source: DWR 2) Hydrographs in the Western Placer County Sustainable Yield Report 2013, show groundwater level decline. High rating due to water exports. Per 2018 draft basin prioritization: Groundwater-related transfer “Type A” in which local groundwater is pumped to allow for inter-basin diversion of surface water. Jurisdictional basin boundary modification request by Yuba County Water Agency pending
2019: Basin boundary modification approved. Phase 2 draft basin priority remained high.
2022: January 24 – Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP) submitted to Department of Water Resources (DWR)
2023: GSP approved by DWR
At-A-Glance
California Water Library Documents About This Basin
Assessing Causes and Consequences of Winter Surface Water Dynamics in California's Central Valley Using Satellite Remote Sensing
Wiley Online Library | June 3rd, 2025
California's Central Valley is increasingly vulnerable to winter floods. A comprehensive spatial baseline of flood extents is critical for inundation analyses that can en
Groundwater sustainability and land subsidence in California’s Central Valley
Water (MDPI) | April 22nd, 2024
The Central Valley of California is one of the most prolific agricultural regions in the world. Agriculture is reliant on the conjunctive use of surface-water and groundw
Thousands of domestic and public supply wells face failure despite groundwater sustainability reform in California’s Central Valley
Nature Portfolio (Springer Nature) | September 8th, 2023
Statement of Findings regarding the Approval of the Sacramento Valley - North American Subbasin Groundwater Sustainability Plan
California Department of Water Resources (DWR) | July 27th, 2023
Subsurface water flux in California's Central Valley and its source watershed from space geodesy
American Geophysical Union (AGU) | September 29th, 2022
We combine measurements from Global Positioning System positioning and Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment gravity to infer change in water components in Central Vall
Status and understanding of groundwater quality in the Sacramento Metropolitan Domestic-Supply Aquifer study unit, 2017—California GAMA Priority Basin Project
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) | May 26th, 2022
Groundwater quality in the Sacramento Metropolitan Domestic-Supply Aquifer study unit (SacMetro-DSA) was studied from August to November 2017 as part of the second phase
North American Subbasin Groundwater Sustainability Plan
Sacramento Groundwater Authority | December 15th, 2021
In 2014, the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) was signed by the Governor of the state of California, setting the framework for local agencies to sustainably
Critical Aquifer Overdraft Accelerates Degradation of Groundwater Quality in California's Central Valley During Drought
American Geophysical Union (AGU) | September 1st, 2021
It has been established that wells are at risk to run dry when groundwater levels decline during drought, but associated impacts to water quality are poorly understood.
Status and Understanding of Groundwater Quality in the Northern Sierra Nevada Foothills Domestic-Supply Aquifer Study Units, 2015–17: California GAMA Priority Basin Project
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) | May 25th, 2021
Geologic Influences on the Quality of Groundwater Used for Domestic Supply in the Northern Sierra Nevada Foothills
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) | May 25th, 2021
Approximately 2 million California residents depend on groundwater from domestic wells for their drinking-water supply. The State of California, in collaboration with the
Multiscale Assessment of Agricultural Consumptive Water Use in California's Central Valley
American Geophysical Union (AGU) | May 4th, 2021
Hydrology, Hydraulics, and Water Management Technical Report
U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) | December 15th, 2014
This Technical Report describes pertinent hydrologic and hydraulic condition and water management operations for Shasta Lake, the Sacramento River, the Delta, and the CVP
Sutter County Groundwater Management Plan
Sutter County | March 19th, 2012
Sutter County intends this GMP to be relevant for the entire County. Sutter County overlies the south central part of the Sacramento Valley Groundwater Basin, and specif
Geochemistry of Ground Water in the Sacramento Valley, California
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) | July 13th, 1984
A geochemical investigation was done to evaluate temporal changes in water quality and to determine the processes that control water chemistry in shallow ground water of