California farm groups praise governor’s actions to recharge aquifers

Amid more heavy rain and snow throughout California, Gov. Gavin Newson signed an executive order March 10 that would make floodwater capture to basins easier for groundwater storage.

The order suspends regulations and restrictions to enable water agencies and water users to divert flood water to boosting groundwater recharge. 

“California is seeing extreme rain and snow, so we’re making it simple to redirect water to recharge groundwater basins,” Newsom said in a news release. “This order helps us take advantage of expected intense storms and increases state support for local stormwater capture efforts.”

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California-based industry groups Western Growers and the California Farm Bureau praised the decision, citing the long-term benefits of taking quick action to replenish and store valuable water resources.

“Our groundwater basins are critical for supplying drinking water for our communities as well as helping our farmers produce the food supply for Californians,” California Farm Bureau President Jamie Johansson said in a news release. “We applaud Gov. Newsom’s courageous decision to divert floodwaters from this year’s storms to replenish our depleted groundwater basins. This can help protect life and property during our continuing storms."

In August, Newsom’s administration released a plan, "California’s Water Supply Strategy: Adapting to a Hotter, Drier Future," calling for investments in new sources of water supply, accelerating projects and modernizing how the state manages water through new technology.

“We strongly support efforts to enhance California’s long-term water supplies during wet years, including recharging our groundwater and capturing and storing surface water for our reservoirs,” Johansson said in the release.

Western Growers President and CEO Dave Puglia also commended Newsom’s water supply strategy, saying in a statement that the governor's plan “recognizes the urgent need to build new and improve existing infrastructure and to streamline and improve the practicality of the regulatory processes that govern them. Critically, that means new and expanded surface and groundwater storage to capture wet year flood flows that are too infrequent to be missed.”