Can California’s floods help recharge depleted groundwater supplies?
“The drenching storms that hit California in recent weeks represented a long-sought opportunity for Helen Dahlke, a groundwater hydrologist at the University of California, Davis. Dahlke has been studying ways to recharge the state’s severely depleted groundwater by diverting swollen rivers into orchards and fields and letting the water seep deep into aquifers. But carrying out such plans requires heavy precipitation—which had been scarce. This week, however, water managers began to turn theory into practice. … ” Read more at Science Magazine.
Ground zero: Rain brings little relief to California’s depleted groundwater
“The powerful storms that clobbered California for weeks in December and January dropped trillions of gallons of water, flooding many communities and farms. But throughout the state, the rains have done little to nourish the underground supplies that are critical sources of California’s drinking water. Thousands of people in the San Joaquin Valley have seen their wells go dry after years of prolonged drought and overpumping of aquifers. And a two-week deluge — or even a wet winter — will not bring them relief. Even in January, as California’s rivers flooded thousands of acres, state officials received reports of more than 30 well outages, adding to more than 5,000 dry residential wells reported statewide in the past decade. … ” Read more at Cal Matters.
Can nine atmospheric rivers recharge California’s groundwater?
“In the wake of last month’s storms, many people are wondering if we’re socking away any of that bounty for a drought-y day. We asked UC Davis groundwater hydrologist Helen Dahlke, a member of PPIC Water Policy Center’s research network, to give us the skinny. Q: How have the recent rains impacted groundwater recharge efforts in California? A: I’m definitely glad for the nine atmospheric rivers that came through! I wish they could have been spaced out a little bit, but they filled up reservoirs and moistened soils that were dry from three years of drought. In Northern California, we’re still below our typical annual precipitation; we’re at just 40% of what we got in 2017, which was an exceptionally wet year. In Southern California, we’ve exceeded the typical yearly amount. … ” Read more at the PPIC.
PPIC Policy Brief: The future of agriculture in the San Joaquin Valley
“Agriculture in the San Joaquin Valley is a key driver of the regional economy and an important contributor to the nation’s food supply—but it faces a future with less water for irrigation. By 2040, average annual water supplies could decline by 20 percent, constrained chiefly by the transition to groundwater sustainability under the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, but exacerbated by climate change and increased environmental regulations. Improving trading rules, water infrastructure, and groundwater recharge could lower the cost of adapting to the coming changes. Incentivizing alternative uses for irrigated lands could bring additional income to farmers and local communities, while improving public health and environmental outcomes on fallowed lands. … ” Read more at the PPIC.
“So much at stake”: Sustainable Conservation’s water team on opportunities, hopes for the future
“It’s been a tumultuous (and wet!) start to 2023, with California weathering an extraordinary level of rain and snow over the past few weeks. Opportunities abound, but a storm-barraged populace’s frustrations and hazards are clear. Our hearts go out to those that have been impacted by these recent atmospheric events, and we appreciate the chance to center flood risk and community safety in the larger conversations about drought and water security. We checked in with our Water for the Future team to get a window into our upcoming work, what’s on their minds when it comes to California weather extremes, and their hopes for the future. … ” Read more at Sustainable Conservation.
DWR Approves Groundwater Sustainability Plans for Four Northern California Basins
“The Department of Water Resources (DWR) announced today the approval of groundwater sustainability plans for four groundwater basins – Napa Valley Subbasin in Napa County, as well as Santa Rosa Plain Subbasin, Petaluma Valley Basin, and Sonoma Valley Subbasin in Sonoma County. … ” Read more at DWR News.
Sonoma County: Construction of nine new groundwater monitoring wells complete
“A big challenge with managing groundwater is that it’s invisible to the human eye. Unlike surface water in lakes and rivers, we can’t actually see groundwater levels rise and fall. That’s why monitoring wells are so important: These wells are drilled for the sole purpose of “showing” us what’s happening in local aquifers. Through three Proposition 68 grants funded by the California Department of Water Resources (DWR), nine new multilevel groundwater monitoring wells (GMWs) were recently constructed by the Sonoma Valley, Petaluma Valley, and Santa Rosa Plain Groundwater Sustainability Agencies. Sonoma Water oversaw the construction of the wells, which expanded the monitoring networks of the Sonoma Valley and Santa Rosa Plain Subbasins and the Petaluma Valley Groundwater Basin. ... ” Read more at the Sonoma Valley GSA.
Sonoma County: Sangiacomo family vineyard: Growing premium grapes with less water
““Water isn’t as plentiful as it once was,” noted Mike Sangiacomo referring to his family’s 1,600 acres of vineyards, first established one hundred years ago by his grandfather in Sonoma Valley. “But we have learned to use water as efficiently as possible.” Mike Sangiacomo grew up working on his family’s farm, and along with his brother and sister is a partner of Sangiacomo Family Vineyards. Growing premium quality pinot noir and chardonnay grapes through years of drought has required constant monitoring of environmental conditions. Each year Mike has learned more about how to maintain the health of the plants while using water efficiently. New technologies for forecasting weather and for measuring moisture in the ground and the air have been essential during this prolonged drought. Mike says they are always willing to try a new tool or application to see if it can help save water. “At this point I feel like it’s getting harder to improve on what we’re already doing. What we’ve learned over the years is that you can do more with less.” … ” Read more at the Sonoma County GSA
Napa Valley Grapegrowers Report: Investing in the aquifer
“In recent years, there has been a surge in awareness and interest around sustainability and land stewardship across California farming communities — and not only among agricultural producers. The benefits of farmland preservation and regenerative farming practices have captured the interest of a much larger audience that sees that a farmer’s work can benefit the community as much as the farm itself. This is true in Napa County, where growers are increasingly taking action and demonstrating that returns on environmentally conscience investments in the vineyard can be land-smart, economically beneficial and provide ecosystem services to the collective community. … ” Read more at the Napa Valley Register.
Madera Co. ditches plan to tinker with groundwater penalties
“Madera County is keeping its recently approved current structure for penalizing farmers who blow past their water allocation, forgoing an option to implement a tiered penalty structure. The decision came during Tuesday’s Madera County Board of Supervisors meeting and maintains the status quo for the Chowchilla, Delta-Mendota and Madera Subbasins. The backstory: Last September, the Board adopted a new penalty structure for water overdrafts, setting the 2023 fine at $100 per acre-foot in excess of the allotted amount. The penalty would increase by $100 per year and cap out at $500 in 2027 and beyond. ... ” Read more at the San Joaquin Valley Sun.
San Luis Obispo County supervisors move to change new rules giving more water to Paso Robles farmers
“The San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors took steps Sunday to dismantle the county’s new planting ordinance, which allows farmers in the Paso Basin Land Use Management Area to use more water to irrigate their crops. On Sunday, the board voted 3-1 to put the ordinance on the Feb. 7 meeting agenda — when supervisors will vote on whether to repeal it. Supervisor Debbie Arnold missed the meeting; she did not give a public reason for her absence. Sunday’s vote came less than two months after a previous iteration of the board passed the new water rules. … ” Read more at the San Luis Obispo Tribune.
Supervisors rescind newly approved Paso basin planting ordinance
“Nearly two months after its initial approval, the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors voted to rescind the Paso Basin Land Use Management Area Planting Ordinance during a special meeting held on Sunday, Jan. 29. The ordinance, passed in December 2022, came as an update to the original ordinance adopted in 2015. The new ordinance would limit farmers to 25 acre-feet per year (AFY) for the next 22 years and allow new irrigated crops to be planted. However, the ordinance came with several regulations unrelated to water itself, including regulations on dust control. Any farmer or rancher in the Paso Basin who rotates to a different irrigated crop each year/season will be subject to the new ordinance. But, any same crop and acreage that has been in production within six years preceding March 1, 2023, would be exempted. … ” Read more at the Paso Robles Daily Press.