Groundwater Management

Westlands is able to improve overall supply reliability while minimizing total water supply costs by integrating local groundwater resources into Westlands’ comprehensive water supply system through the Groundwater Management Program and conjunctive use planning procedures.

Through the Groundwater Management Program, Westlands installs or acquires title to groundwater pumps and integrates them into its comprehensive water supply system. The program provides groundwater pumping from these Westlands-owned facilities by program participants. Participants must agree to transfer groundwater pumping facilities to Westlands and to operate and maintain those facilities. Participants pump groundwater according to Westlands schedules and are charged a cost-based fee for groundwater pumped.

Groundwater pumping facilities are eligible for inclusion in the program if they attain a 60 percent minimum overall plant efficiency and meet applicable safety standards. A participant must provide the result of an overall plant efficiency test that reflects the facility’s current condition. The participant must also ensure that the pumping plant and related facilities meet applicable electrical and safety codes prior to transfer to Westlands. Groundwater pumping facilities must be equipped with a Westlands-approved meter prior to transferring title of the equipment to Westlands.

Generally, Westlands regulations applicable to the ordering, delivery, and payment for water, including the Terms and Conditions of Agricultural Water Service, are applicable to participant’s pumping and use of program groundwater through transferred facilities.

Participants are billed for groundwater pumped under the program on an acre-foot basis pursuant to a water charge established by the Board of Directors. The water charge for program groundwater is based upon the Westlands’ cost of delivery and reflects a transferred facility’s pumping depth and efficiency. Westlands endeavors to structure water charges so that the average cost of energy per kWh is the same for all pumping facilities.

To access more details and enroll in this program, please view the Groundwater Management Program Application.

Temporary Diversions

Not all lands are served by the District’s permanent distribution system.  In some areas, growers have installed their own distribution systems to deliver water from the San Luis Canal to their fields.  Click through for additional detail regarding Westlands’ temporary diversions system.

Temporary Diversions Details

Groundwater Management Reports

Westlands maintains a historical record of groundwater management program reports. Please click through to view detailed information covering 1993 – Present.

Aquifer Groundwater Maps

Shallow Groundwater Maps

Groundwater