How California could save rain to avoid future droughts?

January 09, 2023 By Raulf Hernes

(Image Credit Google)

California has recently received heavy rain, but the majority of the state continues to remain in severe drought. Why can't more rainwater be harvested and stored for use during the long, dry spring and summer? The atmospheric rivers that struck California in December, January 2022, and January 2023 could herald the start of the state's long-term drought. As a hydrogeologist, I'm curious about what can be done to gather storm runoff on a large scale. Two main sources of large-scale water storage could help ease the drought: storing it behind dams and burying it. California is among the most water-consuming states in the country, but it lacks a large reservoir to collect stormwater runoff for large-scale use. Runoff from roads and septic systems is frequently contaminated in more populated areas. As a result, that water would need to be given special treatment until it could be used for drinking. For decades, many areas have used managed recharge to actively refill groundwater supplies. As wells run dry due to the long-running drought, the techniques have gained popularity. Flood-MAR, or flood-managed aquifer recharge, is one method under consideration. The idea is to flood the land in the winter and then farm it in the summer. Flood-MAR is promising if people are ready to inundate their land and have access to water rights. A ranch could be inundated for 1,000 acres, with much of it remaining flooded for days or weeks. Concerns have also been raised about creating ecosystems that motivates pests or jeopardize food safety. The fact that many of California's rivers and streams are located in the north, rather than the south or center, presents the most difficult challenge for water managers. To get extra water to where it is needed, transportation and distribution are required, which can be complicated and costly. We are trying various types of groundwater recharge projects in the Pajaro Valley, a major agricultural region on the outskirts of Monterey Bay. The plan is to divert some of that runoff to a few acres of infiltration basins. This could be on agricultural land or open land with suitable soil conditions. [caption id="attachment_80224" align="aligncenter" width="640"]

California Department of Water Resources[/caption] We conducted a cost estimate of this approach and discovered that, even after accounting for all capital costs for construction and hauling aside some soil, the costs are competitive with providing alternative water supplies, and it is less expensive than desalination or water recycling. Many methods and several wet years will be required to compensate for the region's long period of low rainfall. One storm surely does not suffice, nor does a wet year. The recharge process usually takes years for basins that rely on groundwater. If this is the last rainstorm of the season, we may be in trouble again in a month.

By Raulf Hernes

If you ask me raulf means ALL ABOUT TECH!!

How California could save rain to avoid future droughts?

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