SGMA assistance bill moving through legislative process
“Assembly Bill 350 seeks to help farmers and ranchers navigate the implementation of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA). The SGMA assistance bill would provide funding for technical support for producers to help with compliance. Introduced by Assemblymember Carlos Villapudua, the bill is being sponsored by American Farmland Trust (AFT). The legislation was passed out of the Assembly Agriculture Committee with a unanimous vote and is being heard in the Assembly Water, Parks, and Wildlife Committee beginning April 26. … ” Read more from Ag Net West here: SGMA assistance bill moving through legislative process
DWR awards $26 million in grants to support critically overdrafted groundwater basins
“The Department of Water Resources (DWR) today awarded $26 million in grant funding for capital project investments to improve water supply security, water quality and the reliability of domestic wells – advancing access to safe, affordable drinking water. This funding provides important assistance for successful local implementation of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), which establishes a framework for managing the state’s groundwater resources and will help California be better prepared for longer, more severe droughts. “California’s current drought conditions following a second consecutive dry year speak to the importance of managing our groundwater for long-term reliability,” said DWR Director Karla Nemeth. “Today’s funding awards further the state’s support for local leaders as they manage their groundwater supplies, particularly supporting communities at risk of drought impacts.” … ” Read more from the Department of Water Resources here: DWR awards $26 million in grants to support critically overdrafted groundwater basins
Irrigation issue report uncovers opportunity for growers to conserve water and increase profits
“Ceres Imaging, the irrigation performance management provider that uses aerial imagery and data analytics to help growers improve their irrigation practice, has released a study quantifying the extent and impact of drip irrigation issues in agriculture. Over the last several decades, a shift from spray and flood irrigation to more efficient drip irrigation systems has helped reduce water waste by specialty agriculture. However, environmental pressures and new regulations—such as California’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA)—mean that growers must now become even more efficient. This new report finds that there is significant opportunity for growers to increase farm profits and conserve water by quickly detecting and correcting common issues like plugs, leaks and pressure issues. ... ” C0ntinue reading this press release from Ceres Imaging at Cision here: Irrigation issue report uncovers opportunity for growers to conserve water and increase profits
Wells dry up, crops imperiled, workers in limbo as California drought grips San Joaquin Valley
“As yet another season of drought returns to California, the mood has grown increasingly grim across the vast and fertile San Joaquin Valley. Renowned for its bounty of dairies, row crops, grapes, almonds, pistachios and fruit trees, this agricultural heartland is still reeling from the effects of the last punishing drought, which left the region geologically depressed and mentally traumatized. Now, as the valley braces for another dry spell of undetermined duration, some are openly questioning the future of farming here, even as legislative representatives call on Gov. Gavin Newsom to declare a drought emergency. Many small, predominantly Latino communities also face the risk of having their wells run dry. … ” Read more from the LA Times here: Wells dry up, crops imperiled, workers in limbo as California drought grips San Joaquin Valley
Satellites detect groundwater recharge for San Joaquin Valley
“Groundwater recharge information is critical to groundwater modeling and management but is hard to observe and evaluate over large areas. Neely et al. [2021] explore the possibility to assess aquifer flow dynamics (recharge and discharge) by evaluating spatial patterns of the amplitude and phase of seasonal deformation across the San Joaquin Valley in California for consecutive dry (2016) and wet (2017) water years. … ” Read more from EOS here: Satellites detect groundwater recharge for San Joaquin Valley
Solving the nitrogen puzzle: Measuring groundwater pollution from agriculture
” … Harter, a member of the Soil Science Society of America, is trying to solve one of the most complex puzzles in farming: how to track nitrate as it moves through farm fields. His research was recently published in Vadose Zone Journal, a publication of the Soil Science Society of America. Scientists have tried for years to predict how nitrate will flow from the surface into groundwater. That information can help farmers balance fertilizing their crops with protecting the water they and others rely on. But there are many challenges. The types of soil, crops and fertilizers can all affect this slow process. So Harter and his team designed one of the most detailed studies yet. Across a single 140-acre California almond orchard, they gathered 20 deep soil samples and installed wells to measure groundwater. Few studies have been so detailed across such a small plot of land. … ” Read more from PhysOrg here: Solving the nitrogen puzzle: Measuring groundwater pollution from agriculture
California wells will go dry this summer. ‘Alarm bells are sounding’ in the Valley
“Thousands of wells that bring water to San Joaquin Valley homes are at risk of drying up this summer, leaving families without running water for drinking, cleaning and bathing. While no one knows the extent of the threat from this second year of drought conditions, Jonathan Nelson with the Community Water Center says “the alarm bells are sounding.” Homes, farms and entire communities that rely on shallow wells as their only source of water are vulnerable to declining groundwater levels from dry conditions and agricultural pumping. ... ” Read more from the Fresno Bee here: California wells will go dry this summer. ‘Alarm bells are sounding’ in the Valley
Creating a place for nature in the San Joaquin Valley
“The San Joaquin Valley’s quest for groundwater sustainability will result in large amounts of irrigated agricultural lands being retired. A new book explores how some of these lands could be restored to natural areas that bring multiple benefits. We talked to Scott Butterfield, a senior scientist at The Nature Conservancy and one of the book’s editors, about this vision. PPIC: The book describes a vision for “rewilding” retired agricultural land. How might this work in the San Joaquin Valley? SCOTT BUTTERFIELD: “Rewilding” in the context of the San Joaquin Valley means creating functional ecosystems that support a suite of native plants and animals. We’re thinking about how to repurpose the agricultural lands that are most at threat of being retired under the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) or for other reasons—lands where farming is likely no longer sustainable. … ” Continue reading at the PPIC here: Creating a place for nature in the San Joaquin Valley
San Luis Obispo County sticks with plan for new Paso Robles water basin rules
“San Luis Obispo County supervisors are proceeding with a new regulatory framework for pumping water in the Paso Robles Groundwater Basin that organized agriculture opposes. The Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 on April 6 to move ahead on an environmental impact report for a proposed ordinance that would replace the existing ordinance, which essentially prohibits increased pumping from the struggling North County aquifer. The new ordinance would allow a higher level of groundwater use for hopeful small farmers—allowing up to 25 acre-feet per year of unchecked pumping per property, instead of the 5 acre-feet per year currently allowed. ... ” Read more from New Times SLO here: San Luis Obispo County sticks with plan for new Paso Robles water basin rules
New front in Santa Barbara County’s pot wars
“Santa Barbara County’s most depleted water basin, the Cuyama Valley, is fast becoming the latest battleground in the fight over how — and whether — to address the negative impacts of the lucrative cannabis industry on farming and residential communities. The giant groundwater basin underlying this sparsely populated, heavily farmed, economically depressed valley is one of California’s 21 most critically over-drafted basins and the only one outside the Central Valley. For 75 years, the Cuyama Valley has been a mecca for water-intensive farming on an industrial scale — first, alfalfa, and now, carrots, a $69 million annual crop. Now there’s a newcomer on the block. More than 740 acres of outdoor cannabis cultivation has been proposed for the Cuyama Valley and is under review for zoning permits, county planners say. The industry is poised to drop new straws into the declining basin, where some of the well water is 1,000 feet deep and 30,000 years old — so old, it’s known as “fossil water.” … ” Read more from the Santa Barbara Independent here: New front in Santa Barbara County’s pot wars