After heavy rains flooded California’s rivers and piled snow on mountains, the state reported Monday that its groundwater supply has increased for the first time in four years.
The state saw 4.1 million acre-feet of managed groundwater recharge in the water year ending in September, increasing groundwater storage by 8.7 million acre-feet, according to the California Department of Water Resources. Groundwater supplies are essential to growing much of the country’s fresh produce.
Crop-rich California regions could be placed under state oversight to maintain groundwater flow
The semi-annual report confirms that water authorities have stepped up efforts to capture runoff from melting mountain snowpack during last year’s rains and encouraged farmers to flood their fields to replenish groundwater basins. The announcement was made in response to the recommendation.
“The impressive recharge in 2023 is the result of a dedicated state effort and the hard work of local officials, but we need to be even better prepared to pump and store water when a wet year arrives. ” said Deputy Director Paul Gosselin. He spoke in a statement about the importance of sustainable water management for the authorities.
California is seeking to shore up groundwater recharge as climate change predicts increasingly drier years. Much of the state’s population relies on groundwater for household drinking water, and farmers who grow much of the nation’s food rely on the precious resource to produce crops ranging from carrots and almonds to berries and leafy greens. dependent.
In this aerial drone photo provided by the California Department of Water Resources, a main pump in the foreground is shown at a groundwater recharge project designed to capture excess flow for groundwater storage in Fresno County on March 13, 2023. is part of. After heavy rains caused California’s rivers to flood, the state reported Monday, May 6, 2024, that groundwater supplies have increased for the first time in four years. (Andrew Innerarity/California Department of Water Resources, Associated Press)
Californians have been pumping groundwater from wells for years without measuring the amount. But as some wells dried up and the land began to sink, the state required local communities to begin measuring and regulating groundwater pumping to ensure the basin was sustainable for years to come. enacted a law requiring
In a report Monday, California water officials said more surface water became available after the rains, reducing the amount of groundwater customers could pump and reducing some areas where land had been sinking. He noted that the region is showing signs of recovery. The state extracted a total of 9.5 million acre-feet of groundwater last water year, down from 17 million acre-feet the year before, the report said.
Some California farmers are reporting that their wells have rebounded this year, leaving them wondering how much the state needs to cut back on groundwater pumping. Joaquin Contente, a dairy farmer in the crop-rich San Joaquin Valley, said his well is recovering after his well, which was more than 30 feet (9.1 meters) two years ago, has returned to a depth of 19 feet (5.8 meters). He said he was seen.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“It’s already almost back to normal levels,” he said.
California water officials welcomed the recharge, but said it would take five years, with rain like last year, to increase groundwater storage to the levels needed after years of overpumping.
