The new technique will map the top of the aquifer, called the 'water table,' spanning areas as large as hundreds of kilometers using a radar mounted on a high-altitude aircraft. According to the ...

It takes many more wet years for the deep aquifer to fully recover," Mao said. Groundwater contributes more than 60% of the water supply used in California during drought conditions, she noted.

Water levels in the Ogallala Aquifer continue to plummet as farm irrigation swallows an average of more than 2 billion gallons of groundwater per day statewide.