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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Salinas, California » Crop Improvement and Protection Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #335078
Title: Groundwater recharge on east side soils of the Salinas Valley

Author
item SMITH, R - University Of California - Cooperative Extension Service
item CAHN, M - University Of California - Cooperative Extension Service
item VOSS, T - University Of California
item O'GREEN, T - University Of California
item Brennan, Eric
item LOWELL, K - Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS, USDA)
item BOLDA, M - University Of California - Cooperative Extension Service

Submitted to: University of California Press-Cooperative Extension
Publication Type: Other
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/2/2015
Publication Date: 9/2/2015
Citation: Smith, R., Cahn, M., Voss, T., O'Green, T., Brennan, E.B., Lowell, K., Bolda, M. 2015. Groundwater recharge on east side soils of the Salinas Valley. University of California Cooperative Extension, Monterey County Blog. Available: http://cemonterey.ucanr.edu/files/219694.pdf.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: After four years of drought, groundwater levels in the Salinas Valley are at historically low levels which threaten to adversely affect farming in the Salinas Valley. Given the prospect of a strong El Niño this coming winter, it seems prudent to plan to capture as much of the rainfall as possible to maximize infiltration into the soil and recharge groundwater. The east side of the Salinas Valley is particularly hard hit because it receives a lower proportion of recharge from the Salinas River than other hydrological subunits in the Salinas Valley and its water levels have fallen to lower levels. Low residue cover crops have been shown to effectively increase rainwater infiltration on Chualar loam soils and they provide a practice that we can employ to increase groundwater recharge. Given the low water status of the aquifers and the forecast for significant rainfall, there is an opportunity to proactively implement practices that can maximize water capture this winter. In this article we discuss practices growers can employ in production fields and on farm edges to maximize rainwater infiltration and restore groundwater resources.