Westlands Water District has boosted its recharge efforts, announcing Thursday that it has recharged 380,000 acre-feet of surface water back into district aquifers since March 2023.
That exceeded the district’s target of recharging 275,000 acre-feet of groundwater by the end of February.
The big picture: Westlands launched its recharge project after coming off a zero percent water allocation years in 2021 and 2022.
- With the wet winter to kick off 2023, Westlands initially set a goal of recharging 200,000 acre-feet of surface water.
- Projects included recharge basins, aquifer storage and recovery wells, flood-managed aquifer recharge and sublateral recharge.
- Westlands approved 527 groundwater projects in total and has more in development.
What they’re saying: “Hats off to District farmers for their commitment and contributions to this significant achievement,” said Allison Febbo, Westlands Water District General Manager. “Farmers in Westlands rank amongst the most productive and water-efficient in the world. Surpassing our groundwater recharge goal demonstrates that our farmers are stepping up doing their part to both ensure groundwater sustainability and aid in the long-term prospects of continuing to clothe and feed the nation with the bounty from this incredibly fertile land.”
- Febbo added that Westlands cannot survive on groundwater recharge alone and called for a more robust and reliable surface water supply.
- Board President Jeff Fortune added, “Recharge projects – which have recharged approximately a year’s worth of our aquifer’s sustainable yield – will provide a lifeline to hundreds of family-owned farms during evermore frequent periods when the District receives a low or no water allocation from the Central Valley Project. The Board is proud of the efforts of District farmers to take advantage of groundwater efforts during our recent wet winters and the District stands ready to build on this momentum.”
