Sustainable Water Management
In recent blogs, we’ve been talking about the ways Southern California is addressing the growing demand for clean water. A series of projects managed by Rosedale-Rio Bravo Water Storage District (RRBWSD) (Bakersfield, Oildale, and Rosedale) provide an additional of work that’s underway in our state to support our businesses and communities in this time of significant environmental change.
The Kern Fan Area
The Kern Fan area is in the southern part of Kern County, just east of Bakersfield. It’s bounded by the San Andreas Fault to the west, the Tehachapi Mountains to the north, and the Sierra Nevada foothills to the east. The Kern Fan area is home to a few cities and towns, including Bakersfield, Wasco, Arvin, Delano, McFarland, and Shafter. Nearly 1.5 million people live there. The local economy is built on agriculture, oil and gas, and manufacturing. Tourism also plays a part. Each of these sectors contributes billions to California’s overall economy every year and preserving the access to fresh water is critical in each instance.
Despite being an arid region, it only receives about ten inches of rain annually.
The Kern River flows through the area, but it only provides for 20% of total water needs. The remaining 80% comes from ground water. Recharge and recovery of groundwater are essential to the region’s ongoing success.
Maybe more than other parts of our state, California’s recurring droughts are a concern for communities like these. Between 1990 and 2020, ground water levels in the Kern Fan area have dropped by nearly one-third, from over 12.5 trillion gallons to just over 8 trillion gallons.
Several factors have contributed to this situation, including population increases, declining annual rainfall, and hotter temperatures.
RRBWSD is addressing the situation through a series of projects, collectively referred to as the Kern Fan Groundwater Storage Project which will recharge (refill) the Kern County Groundwater Sub-basin, the largest of the region’s three local aquifers. These activities are all part of RRBWSD’s efforts to comply with the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), a state law that requires sustainable management of California groundwater basins.
The project is expected to increase the amount of natural recharge by improving the infiltration of rainwater and snowmelt. According to RRBWSD, man-made recharge will increase through construction of new recharge ponds and injection wells, improving the existing recharge facilities, and promoting water conservation. By adding to the existing infrastructure, these projects will recharge the aquifer by 100,000 acre-feet annually (over 32.5 billion gallons, enough to satisfy the water needs of 1 million people for a year). This will increase the region’s total recharge by 40 percent.
For comparison purposes, 114 billion gallons is enough to:
- Irrigate 10,000 acres of water for a year
- Fill 72 Olympic-sized swimming pools
Obviously, the decline in groundwater levels in the Kern Fan area is a serious problem. It’s important to manage groundwater carefully to ensure that it is available for future generations.
Reducing Groundwater Pumping and Increasing Recharge of Groundwater
The Groundwater Storage Program is a multi-level plan which includes:
Construction of new recharge ponds: RRBWSD is constructing new recharge ponds on 200 acres of land in the Stockdale – East area with a total storage capacity of 3,536 acre-feet (1.2 billion gallons) of water. A second phase project (McCaslin Recharge Ponds) will place recharge ponds on an additional 75 acres, with an ability to store an additional 1,818 acre-feet of water. These ponds will provide a place to store surface water during wet years, which can then be recharged into the groundwater aquifer during dry years.
- Drilling of new recovery wells: RRBWSD is also planning to drill new recovery wells in the Kern Fan area. These wells will allow the District to recover groundwater that has been recharged into the aquifer.
- Improvement of existing recharge facilities: This includes improvements to existing recharge facilities, such as canals and pipelines and will help ensure that the District is recharging its groundwater as efficiently and effectively as possible.
- Water marketing: RRBWSD is also developing a water marketing platform. While still in a risk-benefit research phase, details could include the district’s sale of its own water rights, or possibly acting as a broker in water sales between other parties. A third option is that RRBWSD could enter water conservation contracts to sell water that would otherwise have been used to meet customer needs.
Groundwater banking: RRBWSD is also planning to implement a groundwater banking program with three new recovery wells in the Bowling and McCaslin areas. Recovery capacity is up to 1,000 acre-feet per year. This program will allow landowners to store water in recharge ponds during wet years and then withdraw it during dry years. This four-part plan will include:
- Identifying suitable storage locations with selection based on the depth of the aquifer, the quality of the water, and the availability of land.
- Constructing recharge facilities where water will be injected into the aquifer during wet years.
- Developing a recovery plan that lays out how water can be accessed during dry years and how it will be allocated among RRBWSD customers.
- Monitoring the aquifer to confirm that the plan is working as intended. The aquifer will be continually monitored for depth of the water table, water quality, and quantities of water being stored and recovered.
The total cost of the Kern Fan Groundwater Storage Project is estimated to be $1.2 billion. The project is expected to be completed in 2025.
Managing water supply in a state as dynamic as ours, in this unprecedented and difficult climate era, means constant planning and adjusting. Beyond the Groundwater Storage Project, RRBWSD has several plans to develop new water sources as the situation requires.
Desalination: RRBWSD is considering the construction of a desalination plant at one of three possible locations; the mouth of the Kern River, the Buena Vista hills, and the San Joaquin River. A risk-benefit analysis is presently underway. They’ve already estimated that a plant with a yearly yield of 100,000 acre-feet (32 billion gallons) could cost in the range of one billion dollars.
Water reuse: RRBWSD is also considering the development of a water reuse program. This would involve treating wastewater and then using it for irrigation or other non-potable purposes. This is a more cost-effective option than desalination, but it is not as reliable.
Interbasin transfer: RRBWSD is also considering the possibility of transferring water from other basins in California. This is a controversial option, but it could provide a significant amount of water to the Kern Fan area.
Water conservation: RRBWSD is also working to promote water conservation in the Kern Fan area. This includes education programs, rebates for water-efficient appliances, and other measures. Water conservation is the most cost-effective way to meet the water needs of the Kern Fan area in the long term.
Caliagua is a construction firm specializing in water treatment projects. Our team is 100% California-based. For the last 45 years, we have steadily built a reputation for reliability, excellent execution, and commitment to the highest standards in project management. If you have a project you would like to discuss with us, please contact Gus Bruner (gusbruner@caliagua.net) or Cory Wolfrom (cwolfrom@caliagua.net). We look forward to it!