From construction to capture: Laguna Irrigation District recharge basin receiving flood flows for the first time. Photos by Scott Sills.
ABC 30-TV February coverage of CA’s changing drought landscape, featuring the Laguna Irrigation District recharge basin
Rain has returned to many parts of California, and we’re pleased to share an update on a multi-partner effort you may be familiar with: the Laguna Irrigation District dedicated groundwater recharge basin. An alliance of public- and private-sector partners, including Sustainable Conservation, completed construction last year of a 52-acre groundwater recharge basin designed to capture floodwater to recharge local aquifers. Project partner Scott Sills, General Manager of the Laguna Irrigation District, reported this week that the recharge basin is receiving water from the nearby Kings River through this weekend, at a rate of approximately 80 acre feet per day.
Left: Liberty Canal construction in 2015. Right: Liberty Canal supplies floodwater from the nearby Kings River to the basin. Photos by Scott Sills.
This “dirt bathtub” located near Fresno, CA was conceived and constructed in partnership with the California Department of Water Resources, Laguna Irrigation District, Kings Basin Water Authority, and Sustainable Conservation, with financial support from Coca-Cola. The water applied to the basin will seep into the soil and recharge dwindling aquifer levels below. Over time, this means more reliable drinking water for local communities and a steady water supply for vital agriculture in the San Joaquin Valley, as well as decreasing the risk of flood events – and subsequent costly damage – to downstream communities.
Sustainable water management requires long-term solutions and innovative partnerships, and dedicated recharge basins are a piece of the water resiliency puzzle for water managers and irrigation districts to replenish groundwater supplies for future dry days and years ahead. For more information on Sustainable Conservation’s groundwater recharge efforts throughout the San Joaquin Valley, visit our Recharging Groundwater project page.
Watch the ABC 30-TV report on the completion of our joint groundwater recharge basin in spring 2016
Recharge Basin in the News
- ABC News 30 – $1.5 Million Recharge Basin in Fresno County Unveiled
- Fresno Bee – Recharge basin in Fresno County made to renew groundwater supplies
- Modesto Bee – Berkeley lab joins groundwater recharge study
- Hanford Sentinel – Local groundwater recharge project finished
- Central Valley Business Times – Ground water slowly being restored with new project