In recent years, the practice of groundwater recharge has become more common as a method of preserving water and ensuring the longevity of farmland. Karun Samran of Bapu Farming Company has been recharging for several years and has seen great results with water usage and crop health.
Farming over 1,000 acres of almonds and pistachios, spanning from Kern County to Merced County, Samran has been faced with the challenge that all California farmers face: not having enough water. Since 2019, he has seen more efforts in recharging groundwater and began the practice himself before he knew of any other plans for water distribution.
With the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), districts are having to do more to recharge their groundwater using ponds and other local bodies of water. Samran also believes that farmers need to be responsible for recharging their own groundwater as well. He advises that farmers interested in this process should pay close attention to their soil.
“The first piece of advice I give any grower who is interested in doing groundwater recharge is to first understand your soil,” Samran said. “It’s one thing to look at the top foot and be like, ‘oh it’s sandy or it’s heavy,’ but really go out there, either probing or with backhoes, just go find out what it looks like five feet or six feet deep.”
He explains that the future of water usage in California agriculture is going to rely on careful soil evaluation and responsible farmers. The practice of groundwater recharge also helps address other considerations aside from replenishing groundwater basins.
“Relying on wells, it looks like, more often than not with how these recent rain years have been, we’re just putting on sodium and chlorides and they’re just staying in our soils and they’re just burning up these trees,” Samran said. “That’s another benefit of groundwater recharge, I mean, the only way you could push salt and chloride out is through water, pushing it down, they’re not removed with any crop or anything, so you’ve got to push them down.”
Samran sees the amount of salts that are present as a major concern with regard to soil and crop health. He also explained that due to SGMA and the current state of California’s government, it is unlikely that new water infrastructure will be built. That causes growers to be more innovative with their water needs and be proactive in implementing appropriate solutions.