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- Recommendations Addressing Nitrate in Groundwater - February 2013
- Communities that Rely on Contaminated Groundwater - January 2013
- Public Accessibility to Information about Groundwater Conditions - December 2010
The State Water Board and USGS have prepared fact sheets to help the public and other agencies understand the activities associated with the GAMA Program.
- Groundwater Quality in the Shallow Aquifers
- Testing Your Private Domestic Well Fact Sheet - June 2016
- GAMA GIS - Data system integrates & geographically displays water quality data - March 2020
- Groundwater Fact Sheet - June 2020
- GAMA Program Fact Sheet - December 2017
- GAMA Deep Aquifer Assessment Fact Sheet by USGS - January 2006
- GAMA Shallow Aquifer Assessment Fact Sheet by USGS - February 2013
- Data sets for: Sampling for Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) by the Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment Priority Basin Project (GAMA-PBP)
- Groundwater-Quality Data in the Shallow Aquifers
- Groundwater-quality data in the Redding-Red Bluff Shallow Aquifer Study Unit, 2018-2019: Results from the California GAMA
- Groundwater-Quality Data in the Mojave Basin Shallow Aquifer Study Unit, 2018
- Groundwater-Quality Data in the Sacramento Metro shallow aquifer study unit, 2017
- Groundwater-Quality Data in the Mokelumne, Cosumnes and American River Watersheds Shallow Aquifer Study Unit, 2016-2017
- Yuba and Bear Watersheds Shallow Aquifer Study Unit, 2015-2016 (web-based report)
- Tulare Shallow Aquifer Study Unit, 2014-2015 (web-based report)
- Madera/Chowchilla-Kings Shallow Aquifer Study Unit, 2013-14
- North San Francisco Bay Shallow Aquifer Study Unit, 2012, California GAMA program
- Monterey-Salinas Shallow Aquifer Study Unit, 2013
- Groundwater-Quality Data in the Public Water Supply-Deep Aquifers...
- Antelope Valley
- Bear Valley and Selected Hard Rock Study Unit
- Borrego Valley, Central Desert, and Low-Use Basins
- Cascade Range and Modoc Plateau Study Unit, 2010: Results from the California GAMA Program
- Central Eastside San Joaquin Valley
- Central Sierra
- Coachella Valley
- Coastal LA Basin
- Colorado River
- Kern County
- Klamath Mountains Study Unit, 2010:GAMA Program
- Madera/Chowchilla
- Middle Sacramento Valley
- Mojave Valley
- North San Francisco Bay
- North San Joaquin Valley
- North Sacramento Valley
- Northern Coast Ranges
- Owens/Indian Wells
- Salinas/Monterey
- San Diego
- San Francisco Bay
- Santa Barbara
- Santa Clara River Valley
- Santa Cruz, San Gabriel, and Peninsular Ranges Hard Rock Aquifers Study Unit, 2011-2012
- Sierra Regional
- South Coast Interior
- South Coast Ranges - Coastal
- Southeast San Joaquin Valley
- Southern Sacramento Valley
- Southern Sierra
- Tahoe/Martis
- Upper Los Angeles Basin
- Upper Santa Ana
- Western San Joaquin Valley Study Unit, 2010: Results from the California GAMA Program
ASSESSMENT REPORTS (SIR):
- Determination of study reporting limits for pesticide constituent data for the California Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment Program Priority Basin Project, 2004–2018—Part 1: National Water Quality Schedules 2003, 2032, or 2033, and 2060
- Updated study reporting levels (SRLs) for trace-element data collected for the California Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) Program Priority Basin Project, October 2009–October 2018
- Delineation of Spatial Extent, Depth,Thickness, and Potential Volume of Aquifers Used for Domestic and Public Water- Supply in the Central Valley, California
- Geochemical Conditions and the Occurrence of Selected Trace Elements in Groundwater Basins used for Public Drinking-Water Supply, Desert and Basin and Range Hydrogeologic Provinces, 2006-11, California GAMA Priority Basin Project
- Status and Understanding of Groundwater Quality in the Shallow Aquifers...
- Status and Understanding of Groundwater Quality in the Public Water Supply-Deep Aquifers...
- Bear Valley and Lake Arrowhead Watershed Study Unit, 2010: California GAMA Priority Basin Project
- Borrego Valley, Central Desert and Low Use Basins (Mojave, Sonoran Deserts)
- California Desert Region, 2006-2008: California GAMA Priority Basin Project
- Cascade Range and Modoc Plateau Study Units, 2010, GAMA Program
- Central-Eastside San Joaquin Basin
- Coastal Los Angeles Basin
- Klamath Mountains Study Unit, 2010
- Madera-Chowchilla Study Unit, 2008: California GAMA Priority Basin Project
- Monterey Bay and Salinas Valley Basins
- North San Francisco Bay Groundwater Basins
- Northern Coast Ranges Study Unit, GAMA Priority Basin Project
- Northern San Joaquin Basin, 2005: California GAMA Priority Basin Project
- San Diego Drainages Hydrogeologic Province
- San Fernando–San Gabriel Study Unit, 2005: California GAMA Priority Basin Project
- San Francisco Bay Groundwater Basins, 2007: California GAMA Priority Basin Project
- Santa Barbara Study Unit, 2011: California GAMA Priority Basin Project (SIR 2016-5112
- Santa Clara River Valley
- Southern, Middle, and Northern Sacramento Valley Study Units
- Sierra Nevada Regional Study Unit, 2008
- South Coast Interior Groundwater Basins
- South Coast Range-Coastal Study Unit, 2008: California GAMA Priority Basin Project
- Southern San Joaquin Valley - Two Study Units
- Tahoe-Martis, Central Sierra, and Southern Sierra Study Units, 2006-2007, California GAMA
- Upper Santa Ana Watershed
- Western San Joaquin Valley Study Unit, 2010
FACT SHEETS:
- Sampling for Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) by the Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment Priority Basin Project
- Groundwater Quality in the Shallow Aquifers...
- Groundwater Quality in the Redding-Red Bluff Shallow Aquifer Study Unit of the Northern Sacramento Valley, California
- Effects of Surface-Water Use on Domestic Groundwater Availability and Quality During Drought in the Sierra Nevada Foothills, California
- Groundwater quality in the Sacramento Metropolitan Shallow Aquifer, California
- Groundwater quality in Shallow Aquifers in the Western Mojave Desert, California
- Comparing Groundwater Quality in Public-Supply and Shallow Aquifers in the Monterey Bay and Salinas Valley Basins, California
- Comparing Public-Supply and Shallow Aquifer Groundwater Quality in the North San Francisco Bay Aquifers, California
- Groundwater Quality in the Shallow Aquifers of the Monterey Bay, Salinas Valley, and Adjacent Highland Areas, GAMA Priority Basin Project
- Mokelumne, Cosumnes, and American River Watersheds
- Groundwater quality in the North San Francisco Bay Shallow Aquifer, California (Feb. 2018)
- Groundwater quality in the Shallow Aquifers of the Madera-Chowchilla and Kings Subbasins, San Joaquin Valley, California (Jan. 2018)
- Groundwater quality in the Yuba River and Bear River Watersheds, Sierra Nevada, California (Sept. 2017)
- Shallow aquifers of the Tulare, Kaweah, and Tule Groundwater Basins and adjacent highlands areas, Southern San Joaquin Valley (Jan. 2017)
- Groundwater Quality in the Public Water Supply-Deep Aquifers...
- Antelope Valley, California
- Bear Valley and Lake Arrowhead Watershed, California
- Borrego Valley, Central Desert and Low Use Basins (Mojave, Sonoran Deserts)
- Cascade Range and Modoc Plateau, California 2010, GAMA Program
- Central Eastside San Joaquin Valley, California
- Central Sierra Nevada
- Coachella Valley, California
- Coastal Los Angeles Basin, California
- Colorado River Basins, California
- Indian Wells Valley, California
- Kern County Subbasin
- Middle Sacramento Valley
- Mojave Area, California
- Monterey Bay and Salinas Valley Groundwater Basins
- North San Francisco Bay Groundwater Basins, California
- Northern Sacramento Valley
- Northern San Joaquin Valley, California
- Owens Valley, California
- San Diego Drainages Hydrogeologic Province
- San Fernando-San Gabriel Groundwater Basins (Upper LA Basin)
- San Francisco Bay Groundwater Basins, California
- Santa Barbara Coastal Plain, California (pub. 2016)
- Santa Clara River Valley, California
- Sierra Nevada
- Southern Sacramento Valley
- South Coast Interior Basins
- Southeast San Joaquin Valley
- Southern Sierra Nevada
- Tahoe and Martis Basins
- Upper Santa Ana Watershed
- Western San Joaquin Valley
- USGS GAMA Program Fact Sheet
TRENDS:
- Status and trends of orthophosphate concentrations in groundwater used for public supply in California
- Variations on a method for evaluating decadal-scale changes in the groundwater quality of two GAMA coastal study units 2004–14, California GAMA Priority Basin Project
- Groundwater-Quality Data in 12 GAMA Study Units: Results from the 2006-10 Initial Sampling Period and the 2008-13 Trend Sampling Period, California GAMA Priority Basin Project (2017)
- Groundwater Quality Data in 15 GAMA Study Units: Results from the 2006-10 Initial Sampling and the 2009-13 Resampling of Wells, California GAMA Priority Basin Project (2015)
- Groundwater Quality Data in Seven GAMA Study Units: Results from Initial Sampling 2004-2005, and Resampling, 2007-2008
- Identifying areas of degrading and improving groundwater-quality conditions in the State of California
- Groundwater development leads to decreasing arsenic concentrations in the San Joaquin Valley, California
- Effects of montane watershed development on vulnerability of domestic groundwater supply during drought
- Factors affecting 1,2,3-trichloropropane contamination in groundwater in California
- Quantifying anthropogenic contributions to century-scale groundwater salinity changes, San Joaquin Valley, California
- Groundwater-quality data and ancillary data for selected wells in the San Joaquin Valley, California, 1900-2015, California
- Cr(VI) occurrence and geochemistry in water from public-supply wells in California, 2015 (USGS and LLNL)
- Triennial changes in groundwater quality in aquifers used for public supply in California: utility indicators of temporal trends (October 2016)
- Mapping Selected Trace Elements and Major Ions, 2000-2012, Mojave River and Morongo Groundwater Basins, Southwestern Mojave Desert, San Bernardino County, California (2015)
- Location and population served by domestic wells in California dataset (2015)
- Metrics for assessing the quality of groundwater used for public supply, CA, USA: equivalent-population and area, Kenneth Belitz, Miranda S. Fram and Tyler D. Johnson
- Identifying the location and population served by domestic wells in California, Tyler D. Johnson, Kenneth Belitz
- Assessment of regional change in nitrate concentrations in groundwater in Central Valley, California, USA, 1950-2000s
- Geogenic Sources of Benzene in Aquifers Used for Public Supply, California, Matthew K. Landon and Kenneth Belitz
- Estimation of aquifer scale proportion using equal area grids: Assessment of regional scale groundwater quality
- Occurrence and concentrations of pharmaceutical compounds in groundwater used for public drinking-water supply in California
- Assigning land use to supply wells for the statistical characterization of regional groundwater quality: Correlating urban land use and VOC occurrence
- Effects of Ground-Water Development on Uranium: Central Valley, California, USA
- Relations of hydrogeologic factors, groundwater reduction-oxidation conditions, and temporal and spatial distributions of nitrate, Central-Eastside San Joaquin Valley, California, USA
- Factors Controlling the Regional Distribution of Vanadium in Groundwater
- Probability of Detecting Perchlorate under Natural Conditions in Deep Groundwater in California and the Southwestern United States (Fram, Belitz - USGS)
- USGS GAMA Publications
- El Dorado County Summary Report
- Monterey County Summary Report
- San Diego County Summary Report
- Tehama County Summary Report
- Tulare County Summary Report
- Yuba County Summary Report
- Tables and Selected Maps for County Focus Areas available at the Domestic Well Project page
- California GAMA Special Study: Stable Isotopic Composition of Boron in Groundwater- San Diego County Domestic Well Data - February 2013
White Paper on GAMA Special Studies:
Project Reports:
- Comprehensive Isotopic Analyses of Sources, Flow Paths, and Geochemical Processes Affecting Nitrate in Central Coast Groundwater - November 2020
- California GAMA Special Study: Excess nitrogen and methane in noble gas samples - April 2017
- Cr(VI) occurrence and geochemistry in water from public-supply wells in California - December 2015
- California GAMA Special Study: Tracers of Recent Recharge to Predict Drought Impacts on Groundwater: Mount Shasta Study Area - December 2016
- California GAMA Special Study: Importance of River Water Recharge to Selected Groundwater Basins - May 2016
- California GAMA Special Study: Identifying Paleowater in California Drinking Water Wells - July 2015
- California GAMA Special Study: Stable Isotopic Composition of Boron in Groundwater- San Diego County Domestic Well Data - February 2013
- California GAMA Special Study: Application of multi-tracer methods to determine age distribution in nitrate-contaminated wells - March 30, 2015
- California GAMA Special Study: Noble Gas Membrane Inlet Mass Spectrometry: A Rapid, Low-Cost Method to Determine Travel Times at Recharge Operations Using Noble Gas Tracers - September 2012
- California GAMA Special Study: Field-based Study of Septic System Impact on Groundwater (A Feasibility Study) - September 2007
- California GAMA Special Study: Distinguishing septic system and agricultural nitrate sources with stable isotope compositions and trace organic compounds: An investigation of nitrate sources in Chico, CA - August 2015
- LLNL releases Calif GAMA Study: Development of a Capability for Analysis of Krypton-85 in Groundwater Samples (June 2015)
- Seasonal variation of high elevation groundwater recharge as indicator of climate response
- Source Determination of Nitrate in Groundwater using Nitrogen, Oxygen, and Boron Isotopes: San Diego County GAMA Domestic Well Project
- Stable isotopic composition of boron in groundwater - analytical method development
- California GAMA Special Study: Nitrate Fate and Transport in the Salinas Valley
- California GAMA Domestic Wells: Nitrate and Water Isotopic Data for Tulare County
- California GAMA Program: Development of a Field Deployable Dissolved Gas Extraction Apparatus
- California GAMA Special Study:Ion exchange and trace element surface complexation reactions associated with applied recharge of low-TDS water in the San Joaquin Valley, California
- California GAMA Special Study: An isotopic and dissolved gas investigation of nitrate source and transport to a public supply well in California's Central Valley
- Impact of Artificial Recharge on Dissolved Noble Gasses in Groundwater in California
- Evaluation of Noble Gases Recharge Temperatures in a Shallow Unconfined Aquifer
- Tracking Water Quality Changes during Groundwater Banking at Two Sites in San Joaquin County
- Impact of Dairy Operations on Groundwater Quality
- Fate and Transport of Wastewater Indicators: Results from Ambient Groundwater and from Groundwater Directly Influenced by Wastewater
- Sources and Transport of Nitrate in Shallow groundwater in the Llagas Basin of Santa Clara County, California
- Denitrification in a Shallow Aquifer Underlying a Dairy Farm: New Approaches to Characterization and Modeling
- Sources and Transport of Nitrate in Groundwater in the Livermore Valley Basin, California: An Integrated Approach to Basin Assessment and Resource Protection
- Interpretation of Tritium-3Helium Groundwater Ages and Associated Dissolved Noble Gas Results from Public Water Supply Wells in the Los Angeles Physiographic Basin
- Genetic Detection of Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals in Ambient Water
- California GAMA Special Study:Interpretation of Isotopic Data in the Sonoma Valley, California
- California GAMA Special Study: Groundwater Age Simulation and Deconvolution Methods for Interpretation of 3H- 3He Data
- California GAMA Domestic Wells Data Report: Water and Nitrate Isotopic Data for San Diego County
- California GAMA Special Study: Geostatistical analysis of groundwater age and other noble gas derived parameters in California groundwater
Many other groups, including non-profit environmental advocacy groups, university researchers, and others have prepared reports related to groundwater quality in California. A selection of these reports is available below:
- California’s Contaminated Groundwater (Natural Resources Defense Council - NRDC)
- USGS Develops New Field Method for Detecting Chromium VI in Ground Water (2003)
- Where Does My Water Come From? (Water Education Foundation)
- Federal Clean Water Act - 2002 CWA Section 305(b) Report
- AB 599 – The Groundwater Quality Monitoring Act of 2001 - Complete text of chaptered bill
- SWRCB Report to the Governor and Legislature: A Comprehensive Groundwater Quality Monitoring Program for California
- AB 2021 Reports – See Department of Pesticide Regulation below
- AB 2222 - Groundwater Information Accessibility and Identification of Communities Reliant on Contaminated Groundwater
California Aquifer Susceptibility Assessment
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory CAS Reports
- Groundwater Age Dating from Public Water Supply Wells in the Los Angeles Physiographic Basin
- A Contamination Vulnerability Assessment for the Livermore-Amador and Niles Cone Groundwater Basin
- A Contamination Vulnerability Assessment for the Sacramento Area Groundwater Basin
- A Contamination Vulnerability Assessment for the Bakersfield Area
- A Contamination Vulnerability Assessment for the Santa Clara and San Mateo County Groundwater Basins
- California GAMA Program: Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment Results for the Sacramento Valley and Volcanic Provinces of Northern California
USGS CAS Reports
- Low Level Volatile Organic Compounds in Active Public Supply Wells as Ground-Water Tracers in the Los Angeles Physiographic Basin, California
- Stable Isotopes and Volatile Organic Compounds Along Seven Ground-Water Flow Paths in Divergent and Convergent Flow Systems, Southern California, 2000
- Assessing the Susceptibility to Contamination of Two Aquifer Systems Used for Public Water Supply in the Modesto and Fresno Metropolitan Areas, California 2001 and 2002
- Evaluation of Volatile Organic Compounds in Two Mojave Desert Basins – Mojave River and Antelope Valley – in San Bernardino, Los Angeles, and Kern Counties, California, June-October 2002
Hydrogeologically Vulnerable Areas - In 2000, the State Water Resources Control Board, Division of Water Quality, created a California map identifying soil or rock conditions that may be more vulnerable to groundwater contamination.
The Hydrogeologic Vulnerable Areas Shapefile is available on GeoTracker GAMA-GAMA Shapefile Download
The State Water Resources Control Board Compilation of Water Quality Goals
- A new 17th Edition of the staff report “A Compilation of Water Quality Goals” dated January 2016, has been released. Please cease using earlier editions of this report and earlier versions of the Water Quality Goals tables, as they contain outdated information.
- Water Quality Goals Searchable Database - contains an extensive compendium of numeric water quality thresholds from the literature for over 860 chemical constituents and water quality parameters
State Water Board Division of Drinking Water (formerly California Department of Public Health)
- DWR Bulletin 118 - The Department of Water Resources publishes descriptions, maps, and GIS compatible data files for over 400 delineated groundwater basins in California.
The Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) maintains a Ground Water Protection Program. Groundwater regulations related to pesticide use and application can be found here, along with maps and files of sensitive groundwater protection areas.
Subscribe to our Groundwater Ambient Monitoring & Assessment Program (GAMA) email list to receive notifications and the latest updates. After subscribing, you will need to check your email host for a confirmation email to complete the subscription.
Subscribe to our other email lists. See the "Water Quality" section.
Contacts
State Water Resources Control Board
Division of Water Quality
Groundwater Ambient Monitoring & Assessment Program (GAMA)
1001 I Street, 15th Floor
Sacramento, CA 95814
Email: GAMA@waterboards.ca.gov
Telephone: (916) 341-5577
Fax: (916) 341-5463
GAMA Program Online Map
Visit the GAMA Program Publications online map to spatially view study units and access available publications for each study unit.
