Even though immense rains repeatedly pummeled California in 2023, they barely helped recharge aquifers drawn down by decades of drought and human pumping, a new study reveals.
About one-third of the water supply in Los Angeles, which is susceptible to long dry spells, comes from groundwater. But in the first three months of 2023, more than a dozen atmospheric rivers — long, narrow weather systems chock full of water vapor — brought rainfall to the West Coast. Then, in August, hurricane Hilary spilled rain over Southern California. Statewide, precipitation for the year measured well over double its 20th century average. Altogether, the January-through-August precipitation added more than 90 billion