This report provides a full digitization of historic groundwater-quality and depth-to-water data from Mendenhall and others (1916) Water Supply Paper 398, “Ground Water in San Joaquin Valley, California” in a modern format suitable for further analysis of California’s water supply resources. Included are geochemical data for over 400 wells collected by Mendenhall in the fall of 1910, as well as depth-to-water and well construction information from over 4000 wells compiled by his team from over 15 years of well surveys throughout the San Joaquin Valley. Additionally, these data provide geospatial and geochemical data for sampled wells in California's San Joaquin Valley (SJV) in support of the publication: Hansen, J.A., Jurgens, B.C, Fram, M.S., Quantifying Anthropogenic Contributions to Century-Scale Groundwater Salinity Changes, San Joaquin Valley, California, USA, Science of the Total Environment, vol. XX, no. X, pp. XX-XX, 2018.

This report provides a full digitization of historic groundwater-quality and depth-to-water data from Mendenhall and others (1916) Water Supply Paper 398, “Ground Water in San Joaquin Valley, California” in a modern format suitable for further analysis of California’s water supply resources. Included are geochemical data for over 400 wells collected by Mendenhall in the fall of 1910, as well as depth-to-water and well construction information from over 4000 wells compiled by his team from over 15 years of well surveys throughout the San Joaquin Valley. Additionally, these data provide geospatial and geochemical data for sampled wells in California's San Joaquin Valley (SJV) in support of the publication: Hansen, J.A., Jurgens, B.C, Fram, M.S., Quantifying Anthropogenic Contributions to Century-Scale Groundwater Salinity Changes, San Joaquin Valley, California, USA, Science of the Total Environment, vol. XX, no. X, pp. XX-XX, 2018.

The U.S. Geological Survey collected groundwater samples from 49 wells used for domestic and small system drinking water supplies in Amador, Placer, Sutter, and Sacramento Counties, California in 2017. The wells were sampled for the Sacramento Metropolitan (SacMetro) Shallow Aquifer Study Unit of the California State Water Resources Control Board Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) Program Priority Basin Project’s assessment of the quality of groundwater resources used for domestic and small system drinking water supplies. Domestic and small-system wells are commonly screened at shallower depths than public-supply wells. The SacMetro study unit consisted of three “study areas” corresponding to three California Department of Water Resources groundwater subbasins: the North American and South American subbasins of the Sacramento Valley groundwater basin, and the Cosumnes subbasin of the San Joaquin Valley groundwater basin. Wells in the SacMetro study unit were in alluvial aquifers composed of sediments derived from the Sierra Nevada Mountains east of the study unit. The study unit was divided into 56 approximately 58 square kilometer grid cells, and a domestic or small-system well was sampled in 49 of those cells. Groundwater samples from all 49 wells were analyzed for field water-quality parameters, volatile organic compounds, pesticides and pesticide degradates, nutrients, major ions and trace elements, arsenic speciation, chromium (VI), perchlorate, gross alpha and gross beta particle activities, sulfur hexafluoride, tritium, carbon-14 in dissolved inorganic carbon, noble gases, stable isotopic ratios of water and dissolved nitrate, and microbial indicators. Groundwater levels were measured in 44 of the 49 wells. All results are presented in this data release, except results for pesticide and pesticide degradates. In 2017, the U.S. Geological Survey National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program sampled 22 monitoring wells located in the SacMetro study unit as part of ongoing NAWQA studies of groundwater quality in different land-use settings. Of the 22 wells, 21 were part of an urban land-use network and 1 was part of a rice land use network. Results for analyses of perchlorate, chromium (VI), and stable isotopic ratios are presented in this data release, and results for analyses of field water-quality parameters, volatile organic compounds, pesticide and pesticide degradates, nutrients, major ions and trace elements, dissolved organic carbon, and tritium will be presented in a data release to be published separately by NAWQA. This data release supports the following publication: Groundwater Quality in the Sacramento Metropolitan shallow aquifer, California: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2019-1047, 4p., https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20191047.

The U.S. Geological Survey collected groundwater samples from 49 wells used for domestic and small system drinking water supplies in Amador, Placer, Sutter, and Sacramento Counties, California in 2017. The wells were sampled for the Sacramento Metropolitan (SacMetro) Shallow Aquifer Study Unit of the California State Water Resources Control Board Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) Program Priority Basin Project’s assessment of the quality of groundwater resources used for domestic and small system drinking water supplies. Domestic and small-system wells are commonly screened at shallower depths than public-supply wells. The SacMetro study unit consisted of three “study areas” corresponding to three California Department of Water Resources groundwater subbasins: the North American and South American subbasins of the Sacramento Valley groundwater basin, and the Cosumnes subbasin of the San Joaquin Valley groundwater basin. Wells in the SacMetro study unit were in alluvial aquifers composed of sediments derived from the Sierra Nevada Mountains east of the study unit. The study unit was divided into 56 approximately 58 square kilometer grid cells, and a domestic or small-system well was sampled in 49 of those cells. Groundwater samples from all 49 wells were analyzed for field water-quality parameters, volatile organic compounds, pesticides and pesticide degradates, nutrients, major ions and trace elements, arsenic speciation, chromium (VI), perchlorate, gross alpha and gross beta particle activities, sulfur hexafluoride, tritium, carbon-14 in dissolved inorganic carbon, noble gases, stable isotopic ratios of water and dissolved nitrate, and microbial indicators. Groundwater levels were measured in 44 of the 49 wells. All results are presented in this data release, except results for pesticide and pesticide degradates. In 2017, the U.S. Geological Survey National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program sampled 22 monitoring wells located in the SacMetro study unit as part of ongoing NAWQA studies of groundwater quality in different land-use settings. Of the 22 wells, 21 were part of an urban land-use network and 1 was part of a rice land use network. Results for analyses of perchlorate, chromium (VI), and stable isotopic ratios are presented in this data release, and results for analyses of field water-quality parameters, volatile organic compounds, pesticide and pesticide degradates, nutrients, major ions and trace elements, dissolved organic carbon, and tritium will be presented in a data release to be published separately by NAWQA. This data release supports the following publication: Groundwater Quality in the Sacramento Metropolitan shallow aquifer, California: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2019-1047, 4p., https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20191047.

This data release documents five tables and one geographic information systems shapefile feature used to evaluate groundwater quality and concentration trends for groundwater basins in the Gilroy-Hollister Valley and northern San Joaquin Valley, California. This dataset provides a framework for evaluating groundwater quality data at the spatial scale of groundwater basins and the temporal scale of 5-year intervals. These spatial and temporal scales were selected because the California Sustainable Management Act (SGMA) program includes local Groundwater Sustainability Plans (GSPs) with 5-year review cycles for approved basins (California Department of Water Resources, 2025). This dataset presents a proposed method for water-quality evaluations and is not intended to supersede datasets or results presented in existing GSPs. Groundwater quality data were downloaded from the California State Water Resources Control Boards - Groundwater Information System Data and Download Page (SWRCB, 2024), which compiles local, state, and federal agencies and is commonly used as a data source for GSPs. Groundwater quality data were selected for five groundwater basins: Gilroy-Hollister Valley - Llagas Area (3-003.01), Gilroy-Hollister Valley - North San Benito (3-003.05), San Joaquin Valley - Modesto (5-022.02), San Joaquin Valley - Turlock (5-022.03), San Joaquin Valley - Merced (5-022.04). Groundwater-quality data were evaluated against state and federal water quality benchmarks used for drinking water. Each groundwater basin was divided into 15 or 20 equal-area grid cells that were used to spatially weight detection frequencies above benchmarks and identify areas where groundwater quality and trends may be more prevalent than other areas. This data release evaluated detection frequencies of constituents above benchmarks in wells, in cells, and in the basin. This data release also computed groundwater quality trends in municipal and domestic wells by comparing concentrations in the previous two five-year time periods (2014-2018; 2019-2023) and by computing monotonic concentration trends in municipal wells. Results from this effort may identify constituents and areas needing additional monitoring to assess groundwater quality conditions and trends in a groundwater basin. Methods for calculating spatial weighting of concentrations and the statistical tests for trends are based on common techniques and recently published work (Belitz and others, 2010; Jurgens and others, 2019; Haugen and others, 2021). Results of the water quality characteristics and trends are summarized in table 1. Table 2 is a list of all constituents that were above a federal or state water-quality benchmark in at least one of the groundwater basins and an evaluation of reporting levels among the different projects that analyzed each constituent. Table 3 is a list of the maximum value at a well for each groundwater quality constituent in each five-year time-period. Table 4 is a count of wells in cells that are high, moderate, or low for each constituent analyzed. Table 5 is a detailed report on the statistical results of the three trend methods used in this data release. Geospatial data of the gridded groundwater basins is included in a GIS shapefile.

The U.S. Geological Survey collected groundwater samples from 38 wells used for domestic and small system drinking water supply in the Coachella Valley of California in 2020. The wells were sampled for the Coachella Valley Basin (CODA) Domestic Aquifer Study Unit of the California State Water Resources Control Board Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) Program Priority Basin Project’s assessment of the quality of groundwater resources used for domestic and small system drinking water supplies. Coachella Valley is located in the Desert hydrogeologic province (Johnson and Belitz, 2003) and is structurally divided into four subbasins by the San Andreas fault: the Indio subbasin, the Mission Creek subbasin, the Desert Hot Springs subbasin, and the San Gorgonio Pass subbasin (California Department of Water Resources, 2016). These basins have CA basin designations 7-21.01, 7-21.02, 7-21.03, and 7-21.04 respectively. The study area was divided into 30 equal-area grid cells with at least one well sampled in 26 of the 30 cells. This dataset identifies the well locations, study unit boundary, and grid cells for the Coachella Valley Domestic-Supply Aquifer study unit. Note: The only difference between the original version of this data release and this version is that this data release includes results for tritium. Tritium results were not included in the original version because they were not available at the time of publication.

The U.S. Geological Survey collected groundwater samples from 38 wells used for domestic and small system drinking water supply in the Coachella Valley of California in 2020. The wells were sampled for the Coachella Valley Basin (CODA) Domestic Aquifer Study Unit of the California State Water Resources Control Board Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) Program Priority Basin Project’s assessment of the quality of groundwater resources used for domestic and small system drinking water supplies. Coachella Valley is located in the Desert hydrogeologic province (Johnson and Belitz, 2003) and is structurally divided into four subbasins by the San Andreas fault: the Indio subbasin, the Mission Creek subbasin, the Desert Hot Springs subbasin, and the San Gorgonio Pass subbasin (California Department of Water Resources, 2016). These basins have CA basin designations 7-21.01, 7-21.02, 7-21.03, and 7-21.04 respectively. The study area was divided into 30 equal-area grid cells with at least one well sampled in 26 of the 30 cells. The 10 understanding wells were selected to provide more data in areas where wells were more abundant and to provide more water quality data for wells in the State Small Water System program. In three cases, Sampled wells within 1 mile of an unsampled cell were used to represent unsampled grid cells. Groundwater samples from all 38 wells were analyzed for field water-quality parameters and microbial indicators, volatile organic compounds, pesticides and pesticide degradates, major ions and trace elements, chromium (VI), perchlorate, nutrients, carbon-14 in dissolved inorganic carbon, stable isotopic ratios of water, tritium, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), sulfur hexafluoride, and noble gases. Groundwater levels were measured in 31 of the 38 wells. All results are presented in this data release, except results sulfur hexafluoride and noble gases. NOTE: The only difference between the original version of this data release and this version is that this data release includes results for tritium. Tritium results were not included in the original version because they were not available at the time of publication.

The U.S. Geological Survey collected groundwater samples from 38 wells used for domestic and small system drinking water supply in the Coachella Valley of California in 2020. The wells were sampled for the Coachella Valley Basin (CODA) Domestic Aquifer Study Unit of the California State Water Resources Control Board Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) Program Priority Basin Project’s assessment of the quality of groundwater resources used for domestic and small system drinking water supplies. Coachella Valley is located in the Desert hydrogeologic province (Johnson and Belitz, 2003) and is structurally divided into four subbasins by the San Andreas fault: the Indio subbasin, the Mission Creek subbasin, the Desert Hot Springs subbasin, and the San Gorgonio Pass subbasin (California Department of Water Resources, 2016). These basins have CA basin designations 7-21.01, 7-21.02, 7-21.03, and 7-21.04 respectively. The study area was divided into 30 equal-area grid cells with at least one well sampled in 26 of the 30 cells. The 10 understanding wells were selected to provide more data in areas where wells were more abundant and to provide more water quality data for wells in the State Small Water System program. In three cases, Sampled wells within 1 mile of an unsampled cell were used to represent unsampled grid cells. Groundwater samples from all 38 wells were analyzed for field water-quality parameters and microbial indicators, volatile organic compounds, pesticides and pesticide degradates, major ions and trace elements, chromium (VI), perchlorate, nutrients, carbon-14 in dissolved inorganic carbon, stable isotopic ratios of water, tritium, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), sulfur hexafluoride, and noble gases. Groundwater levels were measured in 31 of the 38 wells. All results are presented in this data release, except results sulfur hexafluoride and noble gases. NOTE: The only difference between the original version of this data release and this version is that this data release includes results for tritium. Tritium results were not included in the original version because they were not available at the time of publication.

The U.S. Geological Survey collected groundwater samples from 38 wells used for domestic and small system drinking water supply in the Coachella Valley of California in 2020. The wells were sampled for the Coachella Valley Basin (CODA) Domestic Aquifer Study Unit of the California State Water Resources Control Board Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) Program Priority Basin Project’s assessment of the quality of groundwater resources used for domestic and small system drinking water supplies. Coachella Valley is located in the Desert hydrogeologic province (Johnson and Belitz, 2003) and is structurally divided into four subbasins by the San Andreas fault: the Indio subbasin, the Mission Creek subbasin, the Desert Hot Springs subbasin, and the San Gorgonio Pass subbasin (California Department of Water Resources, 2016). These basins have CA basin designations 7-21.01, 7-21.02, 7-21.03, and 7-21.04 respectively. The study area was divided into 30 equal-area grid cells with at least one well sampled in 26 of the 30 cells. The 10 understanding wells were selected to provide more data in areas where wells were more abundant and to provide more water quality data for wells in the State Small Water System program. In three cases, Sampled wells within 1 mile of an unsampled cell were used to represent unsampled grid cells. Groundwater samples from all 38 wells were analyzed for field water-quality parameters and microbial indicators, volatile organic compounds, pesticides and pesticide degradates, major ions and trace elements, chromium (VI), perchlorate, nutrients, carbon-14 in dissolved inorganic carbon, stable isotopic ratios of water, tritium, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), sulfur hexafluoride, and noble gases. Groundwater levels were measured in 31 of the 38 wells. All results are presented in this data release, except results sulfur hexafluoride and noble gases. NOTE: The only difference between the original version of this data release and this version is that this data release includes results for tritium. Tritium results were not included in the original version because they were not available at the time of publication.

The U.S. Geological Survey collected groundwater samples from 38 wells used for domestic and small system drinking water supply in the Coachella Valley of California in 2020. The wells were sampled for the Coachella Valley Basin (CODA) Domestic Aquifer Study Unit of the California State Water Resources Control Board Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) Program Priority Basin Project’s assessment of the quality of groundwater resources used for domestic and small system drinking water supplies. Coachella Valley is located in the Desert hydrogeologic province (Johnson and Belitz, 2003) and is structurally divided into four subbasins by the San Andreas fault: the Indio subbasin, the Mission Creek subbasin, the Desert Hot Springs subbasin, and the San Gorgonio Pass subbasin (California Department of Water Resources, 2016). These basins have CA basin designations 7-21.01, 7-21.02, 7-21.03, and 7-21.04 respectively. The study area was divided into 30 equal-area grid cells with at least one well sampled in 26 of the 30 cells. The 10 understanding wells were selected to provide more data in areas where wells were more abundant and to provide more water quality data for wells in the State Small Water System program. In three cases, Sampled wells within 1 mile of an unsampled cell were used to represent unsampled grid cells. Groundwater samples from all 38 wells were analyzed for field water-quality parameters and microbial indicators, volatile organic compounds, pesticides and pesticide degradates, major ions and trace elements, chromium (VI), perchlorate, nutrients, carbon-14 in dissolved inorganic carbon, stable isotopic ratios of water, tritium, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), sulfur hexafluoride, and noble gases. Groundwater levels were measured in 31 of the 38 wells. All results are presented in this data release, except results sulfur hexafluoride and noble gases. NOTE: The only difference between the original version of this data release and this version is that this data release includes results for tritium. Tritium results were not included in the original version because they were not available at the time of publication.