RESOURCES FOR Protecting Crop Health During On-Farm Recharge
Tools
SAGBI is a suitability index for groundwater recharge on agricultural land.
The recharge efficiency calculator allows growers to evaluate how much of their applied water gets recharged into the aquifer.
General Recharge Guidance
From Runoff to Recharge has information on recharge for different groups (e.g., growers, districts, communities), DWR’s Watershed Studies, and more!
The Recharge Methods Manual is a guide that intends to provide practical information about on-farm recharge to growers, technical assistance providers, crop advisors, and non-profit organizations.
Guidance sheets on protecting crop health during on-farm recharge
These guidance sheets are intended to help growers conduct on-farm recharge while protecting their crop’s health.The guidance sheets have been developed for alfalfa, almonds, pasture, pistachios, vineyards, walnuts, and annual crops when fallow.
Articles & Reports
This article presents a model that determines how to apply water for recharge based on crop and soil types. This model’s information on water application amounts and dry down periods is presented in the crop health guidance sheets.
This study, which assessed how recharge impacted soil conditions on different crop types, helped inform the model presented in Flores-López et al. (2025).
Ganot & Dahlke (2021): Alternative recharge application methodology
- This article, A model for estimating Ag-MAR flooding duration based on crop tolerance, root depth, and soil texture data, presents a methodology for determining recharge amounts by crop and soil type. Some ways in which it differs from the Flores-López et al. (2025) approach include the duration of application, the root zone saturation threshold, the crop’s root depthassumption, and the soil texture data.
- Online safe water application calculator
- Spreadsheet