Central Valley Flood-MAR Dashboard
California is facing increasing pressure to better manage both floodwaters and groundwater supplies. In response to Governor Newsom’s California Water Supply Strategy: Adapting to a Hotter, Drier Future, the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) has been advancing Flood-Managed Aquifer Recharge (Flood-MAR) as a strategy to capture excess floodwater and use it to replenish groundwater basins.
During the high-flow events of 2023, diversions authorized under emergency executive orders highlighted the need for improved coordination among flood managers, water agencies, and groundwater sustainability agencies (GSAs). Water managers lacked a single platform where they could view flood forecasts, local flood thresholds, diversion locations, and groundwater recharge opportunities to better manage floodwaters. Without an integrated system, identifying when and where floodwaters could be diverted for recharge required piecing together information from multiple sources.
DWR engaged GEI Consultants to help develop and implement a solution that would bring this information together into a single decision-support tool.
Working closely with DWR and local agencies, GEI developed the Central Valley Flood-MAR Dashboard, a web-based platform designed to integrate statewide forecasts with local flood management data across the Sacramento and San Joaquin Valleys. The dashboard combines multiple datasets, including river forecasts, channel cross sections, flood thresholds, groundwater recharge suitability indices, diversion locations, and FEMA flood zones, to help water managers quickly identify when flood conditions may allow for groundwater recharge while maintaining flood protection.
The dashboard also supports flood management and emergency response by providing estimated real-time and forecasted flood conditions and serving as a secondary notification tool for potential diversions under California Water Code §1242.1. By integrating state and local data sources into a single interface, the tool improves coordination among agencies responsible for flood operations, groundwater management, and emergency response.
GEI’s work included dashboard design and development, GIS integration, data management, and coordination with local flood control districts, GSAs, and other stakeholders throughout the Central Valley. The GEI team also supported communication and engagement efforts to help agencies understand how to use the dashboard and provide feedback during beta testing.
The Central Valley Flood-MAR Dashboard provides water managers with a clearer, more coordinated view of flood conditions and recharge opportunities, supporting California’s efforts to expand groundwater recharge while maintaining effective flood protection.
- Flood
Key Challenges
- Hydrologic conditions vary across the Sacramento and San Joaquin Valleys, requiring integration of multiple datasets and forecasting sources.
- Flood forecasting, monitoring, and groundwater data are managed by different agencies, requiring coordination and data integration into a single platform.
- Local flood thresholds and diversion triggers vary by jurisdiction, requiring coordination with flood agencies and groundwater sustainability agencies.
- Real-time and forecast data needed to be translated into clear indicators for diversion and recharge decisions.
- Limited high-flow conditions during initial testing reduced opportunities for real-world validation of the dashboard.
- Balancing flood protection priorities with opportunities for groundwater recharge required careful development of decision-support indicators.