Westlands Water District has been awarded a $1 million federal grant to support its groundwater recharge efforts.
The Department of Water Resources awarded the grant as part of its Flood Diversion Recharge Initiative.
The big picture: Grant funding will focus on California’s efforts to reduce flooding by increasing flood flow diversion volumes to recharge areas.
- It will also go toward expanding local capacity to divert future flood waters.
- In practice, those efforts will reduce downstream flood impacts and facilitate groundwater recharge.
Go deeper: Westlands will use the money to remove 450 acres of orchards from land that it recently acquired.
- The land is located in an area that the district identified as subsidence-prone, as it is adjacent to the San Luis Canal.
- WIth the land cleared, the demand for groundwater near critical infrastructure will be reduced, which will improve the availability of surface water and sustainable groundwater allocations.
- That will provide Westlands with increased recharge capabilities.
- In total, Westlands has acquired 5,340 acres of adjacent land over the past two years and has removed 1,930 acres of orchards and vines, costing over $58 million.
What they’re saying: “The District is committed to building a resilient water future for the San Joaquin Valley and our family farms,” said Allison Febbo, General Manager of Westlands Water District. “This grant will greatly assist us in clearing the way for flood diversion and support our ongoing groundwater recharge efforts as we navigate through climate-driven weather extremes and continued decline in reliable surface water supplies and work towards groundwater sustainability.”
