After a wet winter, California's historic drought is over for now. But larger stores of groundwater stored in natural aquifers, steadily depleting, will be difficult to refill.

California's past winter was a lot wetter than the last few, replenishing reservoirs and snowpack in a drought-afflicted state. "Thomas Harter, a professor with the [University of California, Davis] Department of Land, Air and Water Resources, says the rainy winter will make a dent in the state's groundwater deficit, especially for the Central Valley."
However, Alastair Bland reports, groundwater levels are still declining over the long term and it's hard to refill deep aquifers. "The challenge, then, will be for Californians to identify methods for diverting surplus surface water during wet winters into areas where it can sink into the ground and recharge overdrawn aquifers."
These groundwater reserves are much larger than the total volume of snowpack and reservoirs. But last winter, a lot of precipitation drained into the ocean rather than the aquifers (which can collapse when they're overdrawn, permanently reducing capacity). Harter says the best way to refill them would be to let surplus flows drain through agricultural lands.
FULL STORY: How Wet Weather Impacted California’s Groundwater Deficit

What ‘The Brutalist’ Teaches Us About Modern Cities
How architecture and urban landscapes reflect the trauma and dysfunction of the post-war experience.

‘Complete Streets’ Webpage Deleted in Federal Purge
Basic resources and information on building bike lanes and sidewalks, formerly housed on the government’s Complete Streets website, are now gone.

The VW Bus is Back — Now as an Electric Minivan
Volkswagen’s ID. Buzz reimagines its iconic Bus as a fully electric minivan, blending retro design with modern technology, a 231-mile range, and practical versatility to offer a stylish yet functional EV for the future.

Healing Through Parks: Altadena’s Path to Recovery After the Eaton Fire
In the wake of the Eaton Fire, Altadena is uniting to restore Loma Alta Park, creating a renewed space for recreation, community gathering, and resilience.

San Diego to Rescind Multi-Unit ADU Rule
The city wants to close a loophole that allowed developers to build apartment buildings on single-family lots as ADUs.

Electric Vehicles for All? Study Finds Disparities in Access and Incentives
A new UCLA study finds that while California has made progress in electric vehicle adoption, disadvantaged communities remain underserved in EV incentives, ownership, and charging access, requiring targeted policy changes to advance equity.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
City of Albany
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research