On the Water Front

Selected tag(s): groundwater management

With Proposition 4, Texas just approved a $20 billion generational investment in water. But more still needs to be done to secure Texas’ water future.

By Vanessa Puig-Williams / Published: November 24, 2025

By investing $20 billion for 20 years in water infrastructure and supplies across Texas, the state is also helping to ensure that its natural resources — such as the rivers, springs, groundwater, coastal ecosystems and wildlife that define Texas — are preserved for the future.

This blog was co-authored by Jennifer Walker, Senior Director, Texas Coast and Water Program, National Wildlife Federation.

Earlier this month, Texans overwhelmingly approved Proposition 4, a constitutional amendment that will dedicate $20 billion ($1 billion a year for the next 20 years) to the Texas Water Fund to create a steady, predictable stream of money to tackle critical water challenges for both rural and urban communities. This is the largest investment in water in Texas’ history and was supported by state leaders and Texas voters across the political spectrum. Its passage demonstrates that water is a bipartisan issue and that Texans understand that our water security is tied to our economic security, our way of life, and the protection of our natural resources.

The funding can be used for a variety of strategies that expand the state’s toolbox and make Texas more resilient in the future, such as developing new, innovative water supplies; repairing aging and deteriorating water and wastewater infrastructure; and implementing water conservation strategies and flood mitigation projects. The predictability of a dedicated revenue stream lets communities and the state plan for the long term and build regional solutions, rather than quick fixes, leveraging federal grants, local investments, and private capital to increase the number of projects funded and make the dollars last longer.

Prop. 4 is truly a game changer for Texas water, but it is a down payment, not a magic bullet. Texas has more to do to secure its water future. Here are five key areas the state still needs to address.

Posted in Agriculture, Groundwater, Texas / Also tagged agriculture, groundwater, texas, texas groundwater, water conservation, water use | Authors: vpuigwilliams / Comments are closed

An innovative water sharing program in India helps improve farmer livelihoods

By Gopal Penny and Leah Beaulac / Published: October 31, 2025

An aerial view of a tractor on a field in India.

An aerial view of fields in Rayalaseema. Photo credit: Manram Collective

Vanya Mehta of WELL Labs co-authored this blog.

In a semi-arid region in southwest Andhra Pradesh, low but highly variable rainfall has made groundwater a critical lifeline for farmers.

But prolonged droughts and more borewell drilling have worsened groundwater depletion, severely impacting agrarian communities. To reduce competitive well drilling and assist farmers without wells in the region, the Watershed Support Services and Activities Network (WASSAN) launched the Groundwater Collectivization Programme. The initiative helps farmers form water collectives to share groundwater through formal agreements.

A new study of the Groundwater Collectivization Programme by researchers from EDF and WELL Labs revealed some encouraging results, including a slight increase in farm profits and higher yields during the monsoon season.

Posted in Agriculture, Drought, Groundwater, India / Also tagged agriculture, climate, drought, groundwater, India, water conservation, water use | Authors: gpenny, lbeaulac / Comments are closed

Wukchumni Tribe showcases restoration project at annual gathering for California Multibenefit Land Repurposing Program

By Sara Soroka / Published: October 13, 2025

Darlene Franco sits on a log at a restoration site

Wukchumni Tribal Chairperson and CEO Darlene Franco sits amid recent native plantings in a restoration area near Visalia funded through the California Multibenefit Land Repurposing Program.

Land and water conservation efforts are often implemented in highly local, context-specific ways, shaped by the land itself, the people who steward it, and the unique challenges they face. When the people leading this work have the chance to connect, it creates opportunities for deeper learning, collaboration, and a stronger sense of purpose.

Last month, the third annual Pause and Reflect meeting did just that, providing an opportunity to connect for participants of California’s Multibenefit Land Repurposing Program (MLRP) from around the state. The event brought together collaborators across sectors to strengthen the MLRP grantee community of practice, reflect on progress, and co-create a shared vision for continued advancement and support. After three years of monthly virtual meetings and semiannual in-person events, it was clear that regularly convening MLRP grantees working toward similar goals and facing similar challenges, across a variety of geographies, has created a solid peer learning network and a genuine community of practice.

MLRP complements California’s groundwater sustainability efforts by incentivizing land repurposing projects that conserve water, enhance recharge, and deliver environmental and community co-benefits. As one attendee noted, MLRP isn’t only about water. The program supports practitioners working across diverse ecosystems and cultural landscapes, balancing the complex needs of both the natural environment and the people that inhabit it.

Posted in Agriculture, California, Groundwater, Land Repurposing / Also tagged agriculture, california land repurposing, california water, california water funding, community resilience, SGMA, Tribes, water conservation | Authors: ssoroka / Comments are closed

Observations from World Water Week: Indigenous voices gain center stage; groundwater remains largely overlooked

By Ann Hayden / Published: September 23, 2025

Aerial view of audience and stage at World Water Week Last month EDF co-hosted a side event at World Water Week in Stockholm with an ambitious goal: to catalyze collaboration around a global movement to tackle the groundwater crises affecting many regions of the world.

The event, co-hosted with the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) and WELL Labs, addressed the need to raise the profile of the groundwater crisis at international water and climate change convenings like World Water Week, particularly given groundwater’s importance to food security, community health and livelihoods.

Despite the limited attention on groundwater at World Water Week, we observed other encouraging shifts at the conference this year, including the elevation of Indigenous voices and a greater focus on the connections between water resilience and climate change adaptation and mitigation. Here is a deeper look at these World Water Week highlights.

Posted in Agriculture, Global, Groundwater / Also tagged agriculture, climate change, community resilience, corporate water stewardship, groundwater, Indigenous water management, Tribes | Authors: ahayden / Comments are closed

Measuring what matters: Communities in India assess water solutions

By Leah Beaulac and Gopal Penny / Published: September 12, 2025

People behind a farm pond with a staff gauge to measure water levels

A team installed a staff gauge in a farm pond in Toopran, Telangana, to measure water levels over time. Photo credit: Vanya Mehta

This blog was co-authored by Vanya Mehta from WELL Labs.

Water-saving solutions behave differently across India, depending on a region’s hydrogeology and land use patterns. An intervention that is successful in one landscape may be a failure in another. By nature, water is dynamic, and, with the added variability of climate change, difficult to predict. As our scientific understanding evolves, both of water and solutions to conserve it, there is a need to continuously monitor the impact of these solutions on both farmers and water.

In most cases, the water sector relies on short-term monitoring and evaluation (M&E) assessments that measure inputs and outputs, rather than long-term outcomes. This can lead to gaps in our long-term understanding of water sustainability and equity.

For example, in discussions with four experienced civil society organizations (CSOs) in India, we found that donors required them to report on the number of outputs, such as rainwater harvesting units constructed or number of farmers trained on a water-saving production technique. Water levels, soil moisture, and other indicators of water conservation were not measured during the projects. In such a scenario, it would be difficult to confirm whether the units constructed or farmers trained led to any impactful change in critical outcomes related to groundwater levels, recharge potential, agricultural yields, or total irrigation applied. Both secondary data and farmer recall data is not sufficient to understand variable environmental impacts.

To solve this issue, the hydrology team working on the project (Ishita Jalan, Lakshmikantha NR, Clinton Fernandes, Anas KP, Vivek Grewal, and Gopal Penny) has developed a protocol for field-based, community-led continuous monitoring.

Posted in Agriculture, Groundwater, India / Also tagged agriculture, community resilience, groundwater, India, water conservation | Authors: lbeaulac, gpenny / Leave a comment

Data-Driven Solutions for India’s Groundwater Crisis: The Role of Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning

By Leah Beaulac / Published: November 14, 2024

Gathering accurate data as close as possible to the desired impact area of a water management project is a critical part of an effective Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning program. Here, Avinash Shivji Pande and Lakshmikantha NR — from EDF’s partner WELL Labs — collect data from a recharge pit in Jalna, Maharashtra. Read more about this particular intervention.

As groundwater depletion accelerates amid climate change and growing agricultural demands, integrating Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) into water management strategies can safeguard India’s water security and resilience.

Groundwater has sustained human societies for thousands of years, serving as a critical shared resource. However, the current rate of extraction — driven largely by climate change, population increase, and intensified irrigation — is outpacing recharge rates worldwide. At the same time, groundwater irrigation has proven essential for food security, livelihoods, and poverty alleviation, particularly in countries like India. Agriculture alone consumes roughly 90% of India’s groundwater, not only supporting domestic food security but also making India a major player in global food exports.

This reliance, however, comes at a significant cost. Over-extraction is leading to diminishing societal benefits, reflected in declining agricultural productivity, decreased adaptive capacity at the community level, and worsening water quality. Without effective adaptation and mitigation measures, climate-related water impacts are projected to lower global GDP by mid-century, with the heaviest losses expected in low- and middle-income countries. Read More »

Posted in Global, India / Also tagged agriculture, corporate water stewardship, Data, groundwater | Authors: lbeaulac / Leave a comment