Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Central Valley aquifer Completed

By Water Resources Mission Area March 8, 2021

Central Valley is virtually one large, sediment-filled valley in California between the Coast Ranges and the Sierra Nevada. The aquifer system is divided into three subregions on the basis of surface-water basins.

WAUSP Central Valley Aquifer photo 18
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.

A huge volume of sediments of deep marine, shallow marine, deltaic, and continental origin fill Central Valley. Most of the freshwater, however, is contained in the upper part of the sediments consisting of post-Eocene continental rocks and deposits, with thicknesses ranging from 1,000 to 3,000 feet. The continental sediments consist mostly of basin-fill or lake deposits of sand and gravel interbedded and mixed with clay and silt. Depending on location, deposits of fine-grained materials-mostly clay and silt-compose as much as 50 percent of the thickness of the valley-fill sediments. Although a number of stratigraphic units have been identified (Tuscan, Tehama, Tulare, and San Joaquin formations), their spatial character and extent is poorly known. For the Central Valley Hydrologic Model, continental deposits were divided into 10 vertical layers and characterized using sediment textures (percent coarse-grained sediments).

The data files listed below are supplemental to Groundwater Availability of the Central Valley aquifer, California (USGS Professional Paper 1766). The report includes a description of methods used to derive the data.

 

Click on the links below to download files for this aquifer. For information about the available file types, see Aquifer data: Explanation of spatial data formats.

Borehole Data:

Extent of Central Valley Aquifer:  Metadata (19KB XML)    Shapefile (271KB ZIP)

Hydrologic Model Layer Surfaces:  Metadata (31KB XML)    Shapefile (all layers) (2.8MB ZIP)    Text file (1MB ZIP)

Below are other webpages associated with this aquifer.

link
Aquifers: Map of the Principal Aquifers of the United States

Principal Aquifers of the United States

This website compiles USGS resources and data related to principal aquifers including Aquifer Basics, principal aquifers maps and GIS data, and the National Aquifer Code Reference List.
By
Water Resources Mission Area
link

Principal Aquifers of the United States

This website compiles USGS resources and data related to principal aquifers including Aquifer Basics, principal aquifers maps and GIS data, and the National Aquifer Code Reference List.
Learn More
link
National Water Census: Regional Groundwater Availability Studies map

Regional Groundwater Availability Studies

Regional groundwater availability studies enable information about groundwater to be integrated and consistent, so that this resource can be analyzed and understood on an aquifer–wide scale. These studies provide decision–makers with a better understanding of the status and trends in the Nation's groundwater availability.
By
Water Resources Mission Area
link

Regional Groundwater Availability Studies

Regional groundwater availability studies enable information about groundwater to be integrated and consistent, so that this resource can be analyzed and understood on an aquifer–wide scale. These studies provide decision–makers with a better understanding of the status and trends in the Nation's groundwater availability.
Learn More

Below are publications associated with this aquifer.

Groundwater availability of the Central Valley Aquifer, California

California's Central Valley covers about 20,000 square miles and is one of the most productive agricultural regions in the world. More than 250 different crops are grown in the Central Valley with an estimated value of $17 billion per year. This irrigated agriculture relies heavily on surface-water diversions and groundwater pumpage. Approximately one-sixth of the Nation's irrigated land is in the
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Water Availability and Use Science Program, California Water Science Center

Principal aquifers [of the United States]

No abstract available.
Authors
James A. Miller

Ground Water Atlas of the United States

PrefaceThe Ground Water Atlas of the United States presents a comprehensive summary of the Nation's ground-water resources and is a basic reference for the location, geography, geology, and hydrologic characteristics of the major aquifers in the Nation. The information was collected by the U.S. Geological Survey and other agencies during the course of many years of study. Results of the Regional A
Authors
By
Water Resources Mission Area