Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1170186
A L M O N D O R C H A R D 2 0 2 5 G O A L S WATER USE 2 Almond Board, Partners Developing Groundwater Recharge Opportunities With deadlines approaching to submit local plans for California's landmark Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), sirens are blaring (figuratively) for growers — especially in the southern San Joaquin Valley — to prepare for a very different water future. In areas where groundwater tables have declined rapidly due to over pumping, variable surface water supplies and lack of sufficient rain year over year, that future will almost certainly include restrictions on pumping. Helping to soften the blow of those restrictions remains a key goal for the Almond Board of California (ABC) and its partners in the growing, conservation and research communities. One key SGMA strategy is supporting efforts to put water back in the ground during wet years so growers can withdraw it in drier times. ABC is working in this area to develop opportunities and incentives to assist growers. "In our Mediterranean climate, we have years of abundance and years of deficit," said Jesse Roseman, ABC's senior environmental specialist. "The sooner we can maximize recharge opportunities, the better off we're going to be when the inevitable drought hits us again." Roseman points out that while recharge cannot completely close the gap between water supply and demand, it can help. According to the Public Policy Institute of California's Water Policy Center, intentional groundwater recharge efforts could fill about 25% of the gap between current supply and demand for groundwater in the San Joaquin Valley, putting up to 500,000 acre-feet of water back into aquifers each year. 1 Recharge not a lone man's game Roseman said that building a future where recharge takes a larger role requires action at the state, regional and grower level. He said ABC is stepping up its engagement in several areas, including continued investment in research that informs the almond industry and other key stakeholders how best to perform recharge. ABC is also working with allies to strengthen these recharge efforts. In May, ABC entered into a partnership agreement with the non-profit Sustainable Conservation to coordinate efforts to promote recharge and improved groundwater management. This organization has partnered with California farmers for decades to help address some of the state's most pressing environmental challenges in ways that support agriculture and communities. The agreement calls for: f Identifying and evaluating recharge efforts on private land f Promoting development of guidance and tools to help growers and their representative irrigation districts and GSAs make decisions about where, when and how to engage in and maximize recharge at the best-suited sites f Helping create incentives to increase recharge for the benefit of agriculture, communities and the environment f Promoting coordination among irrigation districts, GSAs, industry groups, NGOs, regulators and legislators to increase the number of methods for accomplishing recharge The Central Valley Groundwater Recharge Project's Director for Sustainable Conservation, Joe Choperena, said his group is already working with a handful of growers of permanent crops, including almonds, pecans, walnuts, pistachios and grapes, from Lodi to the southern San Joaquin Valley, on recharge demonstration sites. The group's initial focus was on permanent crops because, according to Choperena, "that's where the most risk is when considering recharge on active cropland and where more information is needed in order to minimize these potential risks to yield, crop health and water quality." Their work includes monitoring at on-farm recharge sites, using instruments such as oxygen and soil moisture sensors, to help measure how much recharge is occurring and how the extra water impacts the crops. "We would like to find additional almond growers who are doing recharge or growers who would like to learn more and potentially try it. Additional growers and data will help refine our understanding of how recharge can be optimized within the almond cropping system," Roseman said. Interested growers should contact Roseman at jroseman@almondboard.com. "Sustainable Conservation and ABC staff are also actively participating in policy efforts to ensure investment in incentives and water infrastructure remain a high priority for the state," Roseman said. One key arena they are participating in is "Flood MAR," or Flood-Managed Continue on page 3 1 https://www.ppic.org/blog/testimony-water-supply-and-quality-challenges-in-the-san-joaquin-valley/ "It truly benefits growers to go to these GSA meetings, or go to GSA websites to get information, and find out what works for them in their circumstances." – Mark McKean