Niles Cone, Groundwater basin in Alameda County, California, US.

Niles Cone is a groundwater basin that stretches across a wide area between mountain ranges and the bay. The system collects and stores water underground that communities use for daily needs.

The basin formed through natural geological processes over a long time. In the 1970s, local water agencies began using artificial methods to refill the system with imported water.

The groundwater system is the main water source that people in the area depend on every day for their homes and work. Local communities have built their development around this underground supply.

Visitors can see the effects of this underground system throughout the region, especially in parks and green spaces. If you are interested in water management, there are information stations and visitor centers on site that explain how it works.

The water in this system is extremely old and partly comes from times thousands of years ago. These facts about water age were discovered through special scientific tests that reveal how complex the underground system is.