Flood Managed Aquifer Recharge (FloodMar)

University of Santa Cruz hydrogeologist Andrew Fisher leads a team of researchers looking for better ways to capture runoff and use it to not only increase groundwater quantity, but also quality. They are using the Pajaro Valley on the central California coast, a productive and valuable agriculture area, as their practical laboratory, working with farmers and water managers to recharge groundwater. Recharge net metering is a novel practice of crediting groundwater.

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.