Westlands uses $1 million in state money to take out orchards, increase recharge

August 17, 2024
Jesse Vad, SJV Water
by Jesse Vad, SJV Water
Almond trees stretch toward the foothills of the Coast Range in the western San Joaquin Valley. Now Westlands Water District is taking some almond acreage out for recharge. SOURCE: Westlands Water District, GSA Groundwater Sustainability Plan.
Jesse Vad, SJV Water
Jesse Vad, SJV Water

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Westlands Water District has removed 452 acres of almond orchards thanks to a $1 million grant from the state Department of Water Resources (DWR.) It’s one project in an ongoing list aimed at bringing the district’s groundwater into sustainability. 

“The district has been acquiring land since 2022 with the goal of reducing groundwater pumping in the subsidence prone area,” said Katarina Campbell, supervisor of resources for Westlands. 

The trees have been removed but still need to be chipped and hauled. Then the land will be available for conversion into a recharge basin, which is the end goal, said Campbell.

In early 2020, DWR released a report blaming the increase in permanent crop plantings, such as almond orchards, for extreme increases in groundwater pumping near the California aqueduct. That pumping was blamed for subsidence, or land sinking, that has caused problems with the aqueduct, California’s main artery carrying water to southern California. Land in Westlands was spotlighted as a key area of subsidence that needed to be addressed.

Westlands Water District in western Fresno County. Source: Databasin

Westlands has been focused on boosting recharge plans since its longtime leader was ousted in 2022. In 2023 the district recharged nearly 400,000 acre feet, a new record, said Campbell. 

The sprawling district that covers much of western Fresno County had been criticized during last year’s floods for letting large amounts of water flow to the ocean instead of maximizing recharge. Board president Jeff Fortune said at the time that he was proud of how much Westlands was able to capture given it had just begun is recharge program.

The district is planning a range of projects to increase recharge capacity, particularly in areas where subsidence, or land sinking, has been severe. 

Westlands already has infrastructure at the orchard removal site so it can deliver water there. For short term recharge, the district will over irrigate the land after the trees have been chipped and hauled, said Campbell. 

In the meantime, district staff are still deciding what these recharge basins will look like and are conducting a feasibility study. They will also need to do some facility improvements to increase water delivery to the site. 

“We’re constantly trying to add projects so that we can recharge another 200,000 to 300,000 acre feet in a future wet year,” said Campbell. 

The district is in a testing phase for a recharge project that was built through another state grant. It’s also building eight aquifer storage and recovery wells which store water underground for later use. 

Staff are planning other projects to reach the goal of an additional 200,000-300,000 acre feet of recharge per year. 

The cost for those future projects is a mystery. With construction costs rising, it’s difficult to say how much projects will likely end up costing, said Campbell. But for a few projects that will add 20,000 acre feet of recharge, it’s probably safe to assume a cost of at least $10 million, said Campbell.

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Jesse Vad, SJV Water

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