Westlands Water District builds sustainable water future with ambitious groundwater goal

(UI) – Westlands Water District has met its ambitious goal of recharging 200,000 acre feet of groundwater and is prepared to capture more.  With water still available for recharge, predictions of a wet “El Nino” for California, and strong enthusiasm from district farmers to prioritize groundwater recharge, Westlands has set a new target of recharging 275,000 af of groundwater by the end of this water year on February 29, 2024.

With increased surface water supply from this past wet winter, Westlands set a goal of recharging 200,000 af of groundwater back into district aquifers. Due to the strong commitment from landowners to implement climate-resilient farming practices and build a sustainable water future, Westlands achieved this ambitious goal early and set a new target of recharging 275,000 af of groundwater by February 29, 2024. Westlands recognizes and appreciates the efforts of dozens of family farms that contributed to achieving our goal and the additional farms coming online soon.

With predictions signaling the potential for another wet winter, the district will continue to prioritize groundwater recharge efforts but has also adjusted schedules for select infrastructure projects to ensure efficient water delivery to landowners.

“This year farmers and the District went from drought to abundance of water supply and quickly pivoted to capture as much water as possible. With over 434 projects approved and a handful more coming online in the next few weeks, the District is in a great position to take advantage or another wet year,” said Allison Febbo, General Manager, Westlands Water District.

In addition to investing in district projects, Westlands has been working with district landowners to establish and invest in on-farm recharge projects, with the goal of using abundant water supply (when available) to improve groundwater levels in the lower and upper aquifers. To date, over 434 recharge projects have been processed and over 285 projects recharged thus far.

 

 

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