新澳门六合彩内幕信息

Map identifies farmland with greatest potential for groundwater recharge

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Map of California with hot spots
This map is part of the Soil Agricultural Groundwater Banking Index, which identifies farmlands with the most potential to capture groundwater and help recharge the aquifer.

Growers, researchers, policymakers and others can now pinpoint California鈥檚 most promising parcels of farmland to help replenish the state鈥檚 dwindling groundwater supplies, thanks to a new interactive map developed by the California Soil Resource Lab at the University of California, Davis.

The Soil Agricultural Groundwater Banking Index provides site-specific information on millions of acres of California farmland based on previous research led by Toby O鈥橤een, a 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Cooperative Extension specialist with the 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis Department of Land, Air and Water Resources.

Before designing the Web-based map, O鈥橤een and his team identified about 3.6 million acres of farmland with good potential for groundwater banking, based on how likely the land could accommodate deep percolation with little risk of crop damage or groundwater contamination.

鈥淎 lot of growers are interested in learning how they can help improve the groundwater situation in California,鈥 O鈥橤een said. 鈥淭he index provides details on the groundwater-recharge potential for any parcel, which you can search for by address or access using your device鈥檚 GPS.鈥

Absorbing El Ni帽o

Water tables have plummeted by more than 100 feet in some areas of California, as growers and others dig more wells and pump deeper into the earth to replace diminishing surface-water supplies.

If a much-anticipated El Ni帽o arrives this winter, California鈥檚 vast acres of farmland may hold the key to groundwater recharge by absorbing rainfall and flood flows.

鈥淒uring storms and flood-control releases, excess river water could be routed through irrigation canals onto farms, where the surplus would seep underground to replenish groundwater,鈥 said Professor Helen Dahlke with the 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis Department of Land, Air and Water Resources. 鈥淥n-farm flooding could also mitigate downstream flood risks.鈥

Rain check

What can farmers and water managers do in preparation for a potentially wet winter? 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis researchers offer these tips:

  • Minimize fall applications of fertilizers and pesticides to protect groundwater quality.
  • Maximize water infiltration by reducing soil compaction and improving soil structure with cover crops and amendments like mulch, compost, and gypsum.
  • Clear and repair irrigation canals this fall, before the storms arrive.
  • Clarify water rights as they pertain to capturing and applying large amounts of floodwater to cropland.

This December, Dahlke and a team of scientists will flood almond fields in the Central Valley, building on research that suggests that deliberately flooding farmland in winter can replenish aquifers without harming crops or drinking water.

鈥淎dding an extra few feet of water to even just 10 percent of California鈥檚 cropland this winter could add an additional 3 million acre-feet of groundwater,鈥 Dahlke said. 鈥淭hat could go a long way toward replenishing the 6 million acre-feet growers had to pump this year alone to cope with California鈥檚 drought.鈥

The Soil Agricultural Groundwater Banking Index is at .

Media Resources

Kat Kerlin, Research news (emphasis on environmental sciences), 530-750-9195, kekerlin@ucdavis.edu

Toby O'Geen, Land, Air and Water Resources, 530-752-2155, atogeen@ucdavis.edu

Helen Dahlke, Land, Air and Water Resources, (530) 302-5358, hdahlke@ucdavis.edu

Diane Nelson, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, 530-752-1969, denelson@ucdavis.edu

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