About the "Conveyance of Nonproject Groundwater from the Canalside Project using the California Aqueduct" Project

Landowners and water users within WWD rely upon groundwater to obtain the water necessary to meet existing need. Because there is a statewide water shortage, farmers in the WWD area are now using existing wells, reactivating old wells, or drilling new wells to meet water supply shortfalls for their farms. WWD will likely receive zero to 10 percent of the normal water supply from the Central Valley Project. Recent regulations restricting pumping in the Delta to protect Delta smelt and salmon have put extra strain on the San Luis Reservoir, the primary source of WWD’s allocations. Further, the federal portion of the San Luis Reservoir became overdrawn in late summer 2009. While groundwater from wells in the WWD can assist some farmers, not all areas have access to groundwater wells, and not all wells can pump at sufficient depths. Additionally, some well water can’t be used due to either low water quality or because a particular well simply cannot generate enough water. To overcome these obstacles, WWD is proposing to pump groundwater from land near the California Aqueduct and convey it through the aqueduct for distribution on other land within the district. This allows for greater district-wide water utilization and more flexibility in drought years. This proposed project is known as the “Conveyance of Nonproject Groundwater from the Canalside Project using the California Aqueduct.”

About the Project  |

How the Project Will Work  |

Project Location  |

Environmental Review & Public Involvement