Are flooded fields and orchards the answer to California’s groundwater shortage?
It’s a good water year in California. As of early April, the snowpack in the Sierra Nevada mountains was 110 percent of average. Winter rain storms have filled reservoirs, creeks, streams and lakes. And as the mountain snow melts, more water will be added. For almond grower Christine Gemperle, it means that, for the second year in a row, she will open the gates of the irrigation canal next to her orchard located in the Turlock water district of California’s Central Valley orchard and flood her property. As the water in the canal permeates the soil, it will travel deep below the surface, recharging depleted groundwater reserves. The groundwater versus surface water distinction is important, especially for dry regions such as the Golden State.
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