Almond Industry and Sustainable Conservation Launch New Partnership to Explore Almond Acreage Groundwater Recharge Potential

17 May 2017 --- The partnership between Sustainable Conservation and the Almond Board of California marks the first concerted effort to increase groundwater recharge on almond farmland.

With a long track record of working hand in hand with California farmers to promote environmental solutions that work economically, Sustainable Conservation has been partnering with growers on field trials to accelerate groundwater recharge on agricultural lands in the San Joaquin Valley. For more than 20 years, the Almond Board has funded several research projects to understand water movement in the soil, and preserve and improve groundwater quality.  
 
Over the next two years, the partners will advance the science and practice of groundwater recharge through the following actions:
-    Grower field trials: Sustainable Conservation will compile information from almond growers who have captured excess floodwater in previous wet years, using it for managed groundwater recharge to document the methods and timing that have not caused negative crop impacts. 
-    Research study: This partnership is complemented by Almond Board-funded research with the University of California, Davis to understand the orchard health impact of applying excess floodwater to almond trees, monitored in three planned trial plots in Merced, Stanislaus and Fresno counties. The UC researchers will investigate how floodwater can be best applied on almond orchards for groundwater recharge without negatively impacting orchard health or crop yields.  Findings will assist in identifying the orchard practices and conditions best suited for these practices which will together advance the groundwater recharge potential of California’s almond orchards.
-    Geological analysis: Land IQ, a cutting-edge agricultural technology firm, will build on ongoing research by the California Water Foundation to identify where almond orchards and associated infrastructure requirements overlay soils and geology suitable for groundwater recharge.

"Groundwater has always been a vital resource in California and plays a critical role in maintaining California’s economic and environmental sustainability during normal and dry years," says Richard Waycott, Almond Board of California President & CEO.

He explained to FoodIngredientsFirst: "Given this extended drought and associated shortage of surface water supplies, it is essential to coordinate efforts to maximize the capture of excess flood flows for recharge during wet times, like this winter’s El Nino, to help replenish groundwater supplies for use during dry years. That’s exactly why we launched this new partnership with Sustainable Conservation, to accelerate the recharge potential of the Central Valley."

“Groundwater has always been a vital resource for all Californians, and has played a critical role in maintaining California's economic and environmental sustainability through the years,” said Waycott 
 
“Almond growers understand and share the concerns of many Californians about agriculture’s impact on state and local water resources, especially during this prolonged drought.  Almond growers are part of the fabric of their local communities, often living on the land that their families have farmed for generations.  Their own families, communities and neighbors are equally impacted by groundwater concerns. These efforts focus on leveraging a significant attribute of the California Almond industry – the land dedicated to growing almonds – to continue our efforts to do our part to realize a sustainable California water supply.”
 
Ashley Boren, Executive Director of Sustainable Conservation said: “Leveraging almond acreage for groundwater recharge has the potential to benefit the entire Central Valley. Once a farmer utilizes his or her land to return water to the aquifer, it serves the greater community, not just that farmer.  Maximizing the capture of excess flood flows during wet years replenishes groundwater supplies for use during dry years, while also reducing downstream flood risk.”