Regions Turn Tide on Groundwater Depletion

Study highlights successful strategies to address declining water tables and secure groundwater resources

Mar. 21, 2026 at 3:04am

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A study published in Science examines 67 cases of aquifer recovery around the world, providing insights on the strategies that communities and resource managers can use to address declining groundwater resources. The study found that most successful initiatives incorporated multiple intervention categories, and over 80% involved sourcing an alternative water supply. The paper highlights success stories and provides a menu of options for managers and stakeholders to consider as they develop locally relevant strategies to address groundwater depletion.

Why it matters

Groundwater depletion is a widespread global issue, leaving entire regions vulnerable to drought, land subsidence, and reduced water access. Properly securing this critical resource is a matter of social, humanitarian, and environmental security. The study provides hope that the problem can be addressed through innovative, multi-pronged approaches.

The details

The study, led by UC Santa Barbara professor Scott Jasechko, analyzed 67 cases of aquifer recovery around the world. Three broad recovery strategies emerged: finding alternative water sources, implementing policies and environmental markets, and artificially replenishing aquifers. The study found that two-thirds of the successful cases involved interventions from multiple categories, and over 80% included an alternative water source to offset groundwater demands. Policy changes and groundwater recharge were also effective strategies in certain cases, though they come with their own challenges.

  • In 2024, Jasechko and his colleagues compiled the largest assessment of groundwater levels around the world, spanning nearly 1,700 aquifers.
  • In 2003, the Beijing government started construction of canals and pumping stations to deliver water from wetter regions, and by 2015 the city was using more reclaimed water.
  • In 1957, Green Bay, Wisconsin constructed a 43-kilometer pipeline to augment their groundwater supply with water from Lake Michigan.
  • In 2006, Green Bay built another, 100 km-long pipeline to bring in more water from the Great Lakes.

The players

Scott Jasechko

A professor at the Bren School of Environmental Science & Management at UC Santa Barbara and the lead author of the study.

Debra Perrone

A professor at UC Santa Barbara and a longtime collaborator of Jasechko, who is working toward a database of interventions and their effects on groundwater levels.

Beijing

The capital city of China, which has implemented a multi-pronged strategy to address groundwater depletion, including delivering water from wetter regions and using more reclaimed water.

Green Bay, Wisconsin

A city that has constructed pipelines to bring in water from Lake Michigan to help restore its stressed aquifer.

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What they’re saying

“The cases in this review are a reminder that groundwater depletion is not inevitable. They highlight how humans have solved this problem in different places around the globe.”

— Scott Jasechko, Professor, Bren School of Environmental Science & Management, UC Santa Barbara

“If another water source is available, accessing it can help meet water demands and offset the need to pump groundwater. This can sidestep more challenging conversations about reducing total water use, but accessing alternative supplies can have its own drawbacks.”

— Scott Jasechko, Professor, Bren School of Environmental Science & Management, UC Santa Barbara

“However, just because groundwater is recovering at any given moment in time doesn't mean that the work is done. It's important to keep monitoring after an initial phase of groundwater recovery so that managers can adapt to changing conditions.”

— Scott Jasechko, Professor, Bren School of Environmental Science & Management, UC Santa Barbara

What’s next

Jasechko is investigating why recovery speed and distribution can vary so widely across different basins, which will help develop better predictions of how quickly groundwater levels may recover under different interventions.

The takeaway

This study provides a menu of options for managers and stakeholders to consider as they develop locally relevant strategies to address the widespread global issue of groundwater depletion. The success stories highlighted show that with a multi-pronged approach, including alternative water sources, policy changes, and groundwater recharge, it is possible to turn the tide on this critical problem.