The creation of fractures in bedrock dictates water movement through the critical zone, controlling weathering, vadose zone water storage, and groundwater recharge. However, quantifying connections between fracturing, water flow, and chemical weathering remains challenging because of limited access to the deep critical zone. Here we overcome this challenge by coupling measurements from borehole drilling, groundwater monitoring, and seismic refraction surveys in the central California Coast Range. Our results show that the subsurface is highly fractured, which may be driven by the regional geologic and tectonic setting. The pervasively fractured rock facilitates infiltration of meteoric water down to a water table that aligns with oxidation in exhumed rock cores and is coincident with the adjacent intermittent first-order stream channel. This work highlights the need to incorporate deep water flow and weathering due to pervasive fracturing into models of catchment water balances and critical zone weathering, especially in tectonically active landscapes. The creation of fractures in bedrock facilitates water movement through the subsurface which breaks down rock creating porous soil and weathered bedrock. Water movement is vital for important processes like plant growth, streamflow, and groundwater recharge. However, understanding how fracturing, water flow, and rock weathering interact is challenging because the subsurface is difficult and expensive to measure. Here we use observations from drilling, water level monitoring, and geophysics to understand these interactions. Our results indicate that the subsurface is highly fractured due to the geologic and tectonic setting. The large number of fractures makes it easier for water to flow through the subsurface and causes chemical alteration of bedrock. This may cause water to flow outside of the catchment through the subsurface. This work highlights the role of geologic and tectonic processes in driving fracturing, which dictates the movement of water and subsurface weathering beneath Earth's surface. Deep weathering may be due to enhanced permeability and surface area from inherited rock damage from local geologic and tectonic conditions Weathering and water flow extend to the elevation of the adjacent first-order intermittent stream channel The deep weathering and fracturing front may allow for inter-basin water flow in headwater catchments

Environmental damages are inherent to urbanization processes and therefore need to be carefully measured and mitigated, especially those that affect hydrological regimes, because they reverberate beyond the urbanized area and reach the entire watershed. Although essential for mitigating environmental damages affecting suburban subdivisions, drainage systems and rainwater management are usually given secondary status during urban land planning. The present study evaluated the implications of the absence of adequate subdivision planning, focusing on the process of occupation and regularization of the Gated Community Alto da Boa Vista - in the Sobradinho Administrative District (in Brazil's Federal District). Our sources were land regularization documents, data on rainfall, soil typology and remote sensing imagery. The images allowed us to detect changes in soil cover over several years and to identify resulting changes in infiltration and runoff. Data analysis showed that faulty attention was given to environmental and urban aspects during the planning phase and the installation of the gated community and contributed to the occurrence of erosion processes. It was found that it is necessary to improve public management routines to expedite the granting of urban and environmental licenses, in addition to defining technically adequate and integrated requirements for the installation of drainage systems and the management of rainwater runoff in areas affected by urban expansion.