Central Valley Hydrologic Model Version 2
September 3, 2025
A new decision support tool for testing water management strategies in California’s Central Valley.
A new decision support tool for testing water management strategies in California’s Central Valley.
The San Joaquin Valley in California is one of the world's most productive agricultural areas. Over-reliance on groundwater has resulted in significant land subsidence, especially in the 20th century and continuing today.
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The United States Geological Survey (USGS) has developed an integrated hydrologic model called the Central Valley Hydrologic Model 2 (CVHM2) to represent the main components of California’s Central Valley water system.
The model goes through the year 2073 and simulates different management scenarios based on three main factors affecting subsidence along the Delta–Mendota Canal (DMC). These factors are agricultural water demands, managed aquifer recharge (MAR), and future climate changes. The webpage also includes an interactive map of the percent coarse grained materials in each model layers.