Each October 1st, the start of the new Water Year quietly slips by most Californians’ calendars — but not Sustainable Conservation’s Water for the Future Team! The Water Year runs from the start of October through the end of the following September – capturing fall and winter precipitation, snowpack accumulation, and spring runoff in one calendar cycle. The recently concluded Water Year 2025 (October 2024-September 2025) exemplifiedthe state’s climatic volatility, with significant swings in precipitation patterns over time and geography.
Above, the map on the left shows the extreme north-to-south disparity in California’s precipitation over the course of Water Year 2025. The graph on the right tracks the accumulated precipitation the state saw in the same timeframe, showing heavy rainfall in late November, an extraordinarily dry January, and a very wet February.
As Water Year 2026 begins, forecasters anticipate a weak La Niña, though its impacts and outlook remain uncertain. Against this backdrop, Sustainable Conservation’s Water for the Future team is focused on advancing solutions that bolster groundwater sustainability, mitigate flood risk, improve water quality, and enhance climate resilience across the state. To mark the start of this new cycle, we asked each team member: What is one hope you have for Water Year 2026?
I hope that everyone in the state is prepared for the possibility of flooding even if precipitation totals are low. Preparation can protect people from harm and can maximize our ability to harness excess flood waters for recharge to help replenish our aquifers. Aysha Massell, Program Director
My fingers are crossed for a strong snowpack and a cold winter that keeps the snow stored in the mountains. The Sierra snowpack can be thought of as one of our largest natural reservoirs (aquifers being the biggest!), and keeping our snowpack as snow is good for agriculture, good for nature, and good for skiers. Richael Young, Senior Director
Animation showing the comparison of the state’s surface water reservoir capacity (50 million acre-feet) to that of its aquifers (at least 850 million acre-feet). For comparison, annual runoff from the Sierra Nevada snowpack hovers around 15 million acre-feet.
I’d like to see an increased investment by state and federal leadership to promote and help farmers meet Sustainable Groundwater Management Act goals through on-farm recharge and mutlibenefit land repurposing practices. These programs are especially critical in the Central Valley where some of the most over-drafted groundwater aquifers are located. Rogell Rogers, Agronomist
One wish I have for Water Year 2026 is expanded efforts across the state to improve groundwater sustainability in ways that thoughtfully consider and aim to benefit communities, ecosystems, and agriculture. Roshni Katrak-Adefowora, Senior Data Specialist
I’m hoping that the forecasted La Niña will indeed be on the milder side, and that we can hopefully still get a decent amount of snowpack. I also hope that we’ll get enough extra water to support some recharge without getting too wild. Ryan Wakefield, GrizzlyCorps Fellow
Statewide Annual Precipitation in Inches, 1895-2024
Via State of California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment
I think we are going to have a wet year, as I do every year, and my particular hope for this year is that there is just enough rain that it inspires expanding conveyance infrastructure to places where managed aquifer recharge (MAR) will have the greatest positive impact. But if it is a dry year, I hope that we would put it to use by planning and preparing for the next wet year. Sarah Reuter, Hydrologist
I know it doesn’t really exist in nature, but I’m just hoping for a normal water year! If I can’t have that, I hope for enough extra water that we can do some MAR projects, but not so much that we have floods! Wendy Rash, Project Director
Photos of rain, flood, and snow courtesy of California Department of Water Resources
