In 2023, California experienced an influx of atmospheric rivers that delivered months of significant rainfall, replenishing reservoirs and increasing snowpack levels substantially. This surge of water was a welcome change after nearly twenty years of severe drought. However, recent seismic research has shown that the surface water has done little to revive the state’s dwindling underground water reserves.

According to Shujuan Mao from the University of Texas at Austin, “The recovery has been minimal in contrast to the groundwater depletion seen during the extended periods of drought.”…