For Immediate Release
Contact: Elizabeth Jonasson
(559) 241-6233
Westlands Water District Exceeds Annual Groundwater Recharge Goal
Fresno, California – Westlands Water District (District) has officially recharged 380,000 acre-feet (af) of surface water back into District aquifers since March 2023 – exceeding the District’s ambitious target of recharging 275,000 af of groundwater by the end of this water year on February 29, 2024. The initial target of 200,000 af of recharge was exceeded in November and updated to reflect the positive momentum.
“Hats off to District farmers for their commitment and contributions to this significant achievement,” said Allison Febbo, General Manager, Westlands Water District. “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. Still, we acknowledge that Westlands cannot survive on groundwater recharge alone. For groundwater recharge to be truly effective, we must restore a robust and reliable surface water supply.”
Coming off a dry year with a 0% allocation, the District and farmers were quick to pivot to take advantage of the opportunity that came with increased surface water supply from the 2022/2023 winter. Westlands set an initial goal of recharging 200,000 af of surface water back into the Westside subbasin. Quickly the District and farmers got to work setting up a groundwater recharge program, approving, and implementing projects. District farmers took part in groundwater recharge programs and incentives established by the District to maximize the amount of water recharged. Projects included recharge basins, Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) wells, Flood-Managed Aquifer Recharge (Flood-MAR), and sublateral recharge. In total, 527 groundwater projects were approved throughout District boundaries, with a few more in development. With the implementation of these projects, we were able to successfully use 100% of our allocated supply and additional surface water made available from the Central Valley Project.
“With increasingly unreliable surface water supplies we’ve invested in making sure that every drop is maximized. We’ve led the way in implementing water conservation technologies and are forging ahead to implement solutions like groundwater recharge to help increase District water supplies,” said Jeff Fortune, Board President, Westlands Water District. “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.”
Westlands will continue to prioritize groundwater recharge efforts and projects in the 2024/2025 water year – minimizing water supply volatility by taking advantage of surface water supply when available to improve groundwater levels and store for future use.
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About Westlands Water District
Westlands Water District is recognized as a world leader in agricultural water conservation and has served the farmers and rural communities on the west side of Fresno and Kings counties for more than seven decades. As stewards of one of California’s most precious natural resources, Westlands continually invests in conservation and champions farmers deploying innovative irrigation methods based on the best available technology.