Key Points
State officials decided to release water from Lake Oroville and other reservoirs across Southern California and the Central Valley..
Although this helped prevent flooding and sent water downstream, many Californians were upset that the fresh water was being wasted..
Their natural recharge processprecipitation accumulating as surface water that percolates through the soil to recharge groundwater aquiferscan also be disrupted by urbanization or impervious covers like pavement, said Bruk Berhanu, a senior researcher in water efficiency and reuse at the Pacific Institute...
Based on Berhanus work assessing the countrys volumetric potential for water use efficiency at the municipal level, he found that there is no federal regulatory framework for monitoring or reporting..
Whether wastewater is for drinking or recharging aquifers, California plants are expanding their operations to include recycling methods so they can produce a sufficient supply...
