By Kam Bezdek and Ryan Ojakian
As we celebrate groundwater awareness week, we have an opportunity in 2026 to advance groundwater recharge throughout California through administrative changes, funding and legislation where needed.
Lawmakers in Sacramento introduce bills each January to address major water policy issues affecting the state. This year, we see momentum building around groundwater recharge-in partnership with Northern California Water, the Regional Water Authority, and others interested in recharge. State Assemblywoman Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (D-04) is leading the efforts to improve our recharge permitting processes and protect our long-term water supply reliability for an abundant future.
Problems with Recharge Permitting
Groundwater aquifers are California’s biggest naturally occurring reservoirs-making groundwater recharge one of the most cost-effective storage solutions in the state’s water toolkit.
There has been growing recognition that scaling up groundwater recharge is necessary to maintain reliable water supplies for farms, cities and the environment. In the last decade there have been several Legislative and Executive actions directed at increasing recharge. Among these actions are the establishment of seasonal (180-day) and 5-year permits as well as a new category of “floodwater” available for diversion.
Despite these efforts, the existing permitting processes for recharge are still not effective and working at the scale needed. According to work done by MBK Engineers, in 2023 (a wet year) the SWRCB issued 2 permits that allowed for 21,200 acre-feet (af) of water; yet only 119 af was diverted. In 2024 (a wet year), the SWRCB issued 5 permits for a maximum of 39,350 af; yet only 42 af was diverted for recharge, all due to limitations in the permits.
Our problem isn’t a lack of abundance-we see the Sacramento Valley with plenty of water during our wet periods. To achieve our long-term needs for water sustainability, California needs better strategies to capitalize on our wet years so we may better insulate ourselves from the devastating dry periods that so frequently occur statewide.
Smart, practical legislation is necessary to refine existing law and improve our ability to effectively recharge our aquifers.
What Is AB 2026?
AB 2026 directly addresses these problems. The bill was introduced in the California State Assembly by Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (D-04), and would improve the existing permitting process to increase and make it easier to participate in recharge.
As an intent bill, AB 2026 currently expresses the Legislature’s intent to support policies that expand groundwater recharge opportunities and remove barriers that slow or prevent recharge projects. By encouraging these projects, lawmakers hope to improve the state’s ability to store water underground and make it available during times of drought.
In this legislation, we also hope to bring together many diverse interests in groundwater management to participate in a collaborative and forward-thinking process. When we can’t effectively recharge our groundwater, we all lose. It’s important that we come together to put forth practical solutions to address an issue that negatively impacts so many across California.
The bill also supports the goals of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, a landmark law passed in 2014 that requires groundwater basins to be managed sustainably by local agencies.
The Legislative Process
Bills like AB 2026 help strengthen these efforts by encouraging more recharge projects and identifying ways to remove regulatory or logistical obstacles. AB 2026 will also provide important technical guidance to policies at the state level and encourage coordination between state and local agencies.
AB 2026 will significantly enhance our opportunities for recharge in the following actions:
- Make it easier to capture flood flows safely by expanding opportunities to divert excess water during wet conditions in a way that will protect communities and encourage recharge during these high flow periods.
- Improve the permitting process to be more cost-effective and flexible through alternative diversion criteria, adding value and certainty to local agencies and farmers investing in recharge.
- Maintain strong safeguards by expanding opportunities for recharge while protecting downstream water rights, the state and federal projects, environmental flows, and water quality.
To help understand the components of the bill, NCWA and RWA have put together a Key Elements document that describes the bill’s language in more detail. We also encourage you to review the Background for the bill.
The Vision
AB 2026 ensures that when the next major storms arrive, we will do more than just survive-we will have the tools to be smart and collaborative stewards of water resources in the face of California’s biggest climate challenges still to come. Most importantly, we will have tools to protect our environment and our communities from climate change.
To see the vision for groundwater recharge through the lens of our Board members leading this important issue, please read: Recharge the Valley: Why California’s Water Future Depends on Groundwater.
AB 2026 makes it possible to scale up our groundwater recharge, store this critical resource in a cost-effective manner and secure California’s future for generations to come.
If you have any questions or ideas about AB 2026, please do not hesitate to contact us at kbezdek@norcalwater.org and rojakian@rwah2o.org.
