A Watershed Moment: Realizing our Recharge Potential

This talk by Graham Fogg reviews surface and groundwater storage in California, new opportunities from winter recharge on farms and floodplains, and examples of alternate reservoir and aquifer management. This webinar introduces the geoscience of managing groundwater storage and recharge, discusses groundwater storage policies and research in California and Texas, and reviews case studies and potential future developments.

To develop groundwater replenishment strategies, Professor Helen Dahlke joins fellow UC Davis researchers, UC Cooperative Extension and California farmers to test the impacts of irrigating almond orchards in the winter to recharge groundwater aquifers and to help manage water resources sustainably.

Recharge Net Metering (ReNeM) is a novel incentive program that encourages individual efforts to use excess surface water to improve groundwater supply and quality. A ReNeMe pilot program was launched in the Pajaro Valley, Central Coastal California. This short video describes the ReNeM program, how it is run, and the benefits it may provide. From UCTV