With 100000 acrefeet of unused groundwater storage capacity rancho california water district rancho water district has the unique ability to make a significant impact on longterm water supply…

The Rancho California Water District was awarded a $43,900,000 Project Grant from the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Reclamation under the Small Surface Water and Groundwater Storage Projects program (CFDA 15.074). The grant will fund the Pauba Valley Groundwater Banking Project, which aims to leverage the district's 100,000 acre-feet of unused groundwater storage capacity to enhance long-term water supply reliability for the Lower Colorado River Basin.

The key components of the project include land acquisition, environmental studies, and the design and construction of recharge basins and four extraction wells. This will allow the district to increase its annual groundwater extraction capacity from 14,500 acre-feet to 34,000 acre-feet and nearly double the usable storage within the basin to approximately 60,000 acre-feet. The project is expected to be completed by December 31, 2026.

With 100000 acrefeet of unused groundwater storage capacity rancho california water district rancho water district has the unique ability to make a significant impact on longterm water supply reliability for the lower colorado river basin. Rancho waters pauba valley groundwater banking project pauba project leverages this available storage capacity to offer an inregion solution that substantially increases local groundwater storage and production decreases demand on imported supplies from both californias state water project and the colorado river adds operational flexibility to improve water management and helps reclamation meet its contractual water supply obligations. The pauba project builds upon rancho waters existing supplemental water supply program swsp which includes the construction of conjunctive use facilities including recharge ponds and 31 extraction wells. With these existing swsp facilities the basin has a current maximum extraction capacity of 14500 acrefeet per year AFY. Completion of the pauba project will complete the swsp and increase extraction capacity by 19500 AFY for a total throughput or annual extraction amount of 34000 AFY and will allow the district to almost double the usable storage within the basin up to approximately 60000 AFY. Specific work performed as part of the pauba project includes land acquisition siting environmental studies and design and construction of recharge basins and four extraction wells.