For example, two years’ worth of snow and extreme heat could pose a flood risk in 2023. release It diverted water from Lake Oroville and other reservoirs in Southern California and the Central Valley. This helped prevent flooding and divert water downstream, but many Californians resented the freshwater being wasted. To reduce overflow releases, water boards and irrigation districts Supply Basin But it wasn’t enough: relentless overpumping and climate change have left the aquifer depleted to this day.
The natural recharge process, in which precipitation accumulates as surface water and seeps into the soil to replenish underground aquifers, can also be hindered by urbanization and impervious covers such as pavement, said Brooke Berhanu, a senior research scientist who studies water efficiency and reuse at the Pacific Institute.
The study suggests that more managed aquifer recharge (MAR) infrastructure is needed to adequately capture large volumes of water in a short period of time and avoid similar water loss situations.
MAR is a method of intentionally replenishing aquifers, especially those that are at low levels. Already commonly deployed in California, MAR infrastructure includes transportation structures that redistribute water to dry areas, and injection, which either sprays the water over land or, as a more costly option, injects it directly into wells.
But further monitoring and measurement is needed to ensure the aquifer is effectively recharged. “Until 2014, growers were not required to monitor or report their pumping or injection into the aquifer,” Schwabe says.
In any case, California has more monitoring efforts than other states, mainly because water supply is not as big an issue elsewhere, Berhanu says. Monitoring standards vary by state and region; urban areas have different regulations than agricultural or industrial areas. Based on a study assessing the nation’s volumetric potential for water efficiency at the municipal level, Berhanu found that “there is no federal regulatory framework for monitoring or reporting. In many cases, water supplies are not even metered.”
Even in areas with regulations, reporting is often infrequent or incomplete. Researchers at the University of California, Riverside, are working to expand the few accurate monitoring systems that proactive growers have put in place in Southern California.
Additionally, the study proposes a voluntary water market where farmers with surplus water could trade with others who need it, a win-win process: the farmer who sells the water gets extra profits, and the other farmer gets the water he needs. “By pricing based on scarcity plus delivery costs, such a market would incentivize storage and efficient use,” Schwabe said in a press release.
Berhanu added that water trading markets work in some areas but not others. “You need a very strong governance framework to make sure all the parties are playing by the rules,” he said. The process requires better oversight, transparency of data and clarity on external costs. “The more decentralized these transactions are, the harder it becomes to align interests across a basin-scale system.”
The study also notes the value of wastewater reuse. Historically, wastewater has been treated according to environmental safety standards and then released into the ocean or groundwater systems. Over time, natural processes clean it up. Instead of waiting for the environment to clean it up, water treatment facilities can reuse the wastewater for irrigation, commercial uses, or recharge purposes.
By 2023, water treatment plants will be able to purify wastewater enough to be used as drinking water. “At some point, the water we use will end up in someone’s hands, for drinking or irrigation,” Berhanu says. Whether the wastewater is for drinking or to replenish aquifers, California plants are expanding their operations by incorporating recycling methods to produce an adequate supply.
“The total amount of water in the world doesn’t really change. Instead of thinking about how much water is available at a given point in time, we need to think about how to better integrate our practices with the entire water cycle,” Berhanu said.
The study further lists a number of efficiency-based management solutions, such as sustainable farming practices, land reclamation and desalination, to help the agriculture industry adapt.
“Now is the time to think about the possibilities and opportunities for agriculture, municipal and environmental collaboration and to make smart investments to capture more water and put it in the ground,” Schwabe said.
