Welcome!

Mission of the UC Groundwater Cooperative Extension Program

"The mission of the UCCE Groundwater Hydrology Program is to provide educational and scientific/technical support on current and emerging groundwater resources and groundwater quality issues in rural areas of California."

The SBX2 1 UC Davis Report on Nitrate in California Drinking Water reviews sources of nitrate in groundwater and source reduction options, groundwater nitrate occurrence and remediation options, drinking water treatment and alternative supply options, cost, and funding and policy solutions to provide safe drinking water to communities encountering nitrate contaminated groundwater.

Conference proceedings of the recent International Agricultural Groundwater Conference provide a comprehensive up-to-date multimedia resource on groundwater quality and groundwater resources management in agriculture and at the agriculture-urban-environment interfaces, which includes overviews of the many issues at the groundwater-agriculture interface; analyses, evaluations and background information across the spectrum of science, technology, policy developments, regulatory programs, and hands-on management practices; contributions from across the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and Latin America:

“Toward Sustainable Groundwater In Agriculture -
Linking Science And Policy”

The website provides a complete set of more than 130 abstracts, presentations, and videos of an international conference held in 2010 in San Francisco, California.

What We Do

Our groundwater education and outreach program primarily works with the water resources industry (public water supply utilities, irrigation districts, water districts, etc.), research, planning, and regulatory agencies on the local, county, state and federal level, farm advisors in county cooperative extension, and the agricultural industry. The components of the program are:

an integrated basic and applied research program that emphasizes hydrogeologic processes, contaminant fate and transport in both vadose zone and groundwater, and techniques for sampling, monitoring, and mitigation of contamination and groundwater quality problems; [Publications]
an extension program that provides educational and technical support to local, state, and federal regulatory agencies, to natural resources conservation districts, irrigation and water districts, county farm advisors and policy makers in both the agricultural and urban sectors in the state; check out our groundwater guides, factsheets, video-blogs, and our Groundwater & Watershed book in "Publications"
coordination of groundwater related programs and events among faculty in hydrology related areas at UC Davis, with other extension specialists and farm advisors, with federal, state and local agencies, water districts, irrigation districts, and natural resource conservation districts and other groups that are concerned with groundwater hydrology.

Our program offers support throughout California, with emphasis on rural and agricultural areas in Central California. The groundwater hydrology outreach and extension program is a novelty among existing cooperative extension programs. It distinguishes itself from traditional cooperative extension programs in that it is not primarily occupied with an area of agricultural production or agricultural economics. For 2007 - 2010, the program is also integrated with the Robert M. Hagan Endowed Chair in Water Management and Policy.

In 2007, our program received the Kevin J. Neese Award, presented by the California Groundwater Resources Association for the best groundwater project of the year. The award was given in recognition of our program's efforts to better understand groundwater quality issues related to dairy activities and our involvement in improving management practices on dairies.

Groundwater Information And Education For You

Want to know how groundwater works? What your water rights are? How a watershed works? How you can protect your watershed? How to get a water sample? Here is full-color, great introductory book on all aspects of water - browse through the book online:

“Watersheds, Groundwater, And Drinking Water”

- A Practical Guide -

Published by ANR Publications, 2008
274 pages, full color, only $40.-

FREE ONLINE FACTSHEETS:

Groundwater Basics - Factsheet
Water Well Design and Construction - Factsheet
....more factsheets on groundwater and watershed issues...

The link buttons on the left take you to a wide range of resources, for example:

PUBLICATIONS - our popular books, factsheets, videoblogs, research publications

CALENDAR - schedule of groundwater-related events in California and beyond

CALIFORNIA LINKS - California groundwater info, data, agencies, related resources

OTHER LINKS - national/international groundwater related webpages and resources

GROUNDWATER BLOG - groundwater related notes