The Current Magazine Summer 2016 | Page 10

HEADWATERS

The Challenge of Protecting a Resource that is Poorly Understood

Despite the undeniable importance of this water resource, scientists know surprisingly little about the complex geochemical processes that fuel the volcanic aquifers. These aquifers have never been systematically studied, and thus there are many unanswered questions about how much water they take in and store annually before emerging as springs and rivers. As one example, it was not until 2014 that researchers verified that the source of the Fall River water was the Medicine Lake Volcano aquifer located 30 miles east of Mt. Shasta.

While previous studies suggest volcanic aquifers are resilient to drought and a changing climate, the mechanism of this resilience is not well understood. The first and most pressing need is to conduct studies of the aquifers and springs to establish baseline data and measurements. Long-term monitoring to detect fluctuations compared to the baseline can then be carried out, and this analysis can be used to inform effective policy and to ensure sustainable management of this groundwater.

The Potential Threats to the

Unregulated Aquifers

In 2014, the California Legislature finally passed a bill to protect and sustainably manage the state's groundwater: the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA). However, this legislation covers only alluvial aquifers, and thus the volcanic aquifers currently receive no protection from this law. It might be possible to add protection for volcanic aquifers to the SGMA in the future, but in the meantime there is a pressing need for local communities, scientists, and organizations to band together to study and manage the area's groundwater on a sustainable basis.

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