AQUIFER POWERED HYDRO (APH)
"Aquifer pumped hydro (APH) uses geohydro generation - the generation of power from the potential energy differential between the surface of the ground and the water table. As a result, irrigation pumps in wells can be used to generate electricity. Increasing the number of available well pumps can generate more power for the region. However, there is uncertainty as to the number of well pumps available, and the specific characteristics (e.g. location, size (hp), depth, type, availability, etc.) of those wells that could support this type of process. To address this challenge, two types of well surveys are being conducted; a valley wide well survey and a local, regionally focused well survey."
SGMA WAVE
The Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) has already altered water management planning in much of California and more changes will follow. Without any mitigation, SGMA compliance is estimated to permanently remove up to one million acres of San Joaquin Valley farmland from production (Sundling & Roland-Holst 2020). The retirement of farmland on that scale will send an economic shock to all segments of the Valley’s economy, with reverberations to be felt throughout the state, the nation, and the world.
The SGMA WAVE (Water and Valley Economy) project focuses on 72 Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSAs) that lie across the five core San Joaquin Valley counties of Madera, Fresno, Tulare, Kings, and Kern. These 72 GSAs face similar problems of water distribution, critical groundwater overdrafts, and severe recurring drought in the same geographic region but have evolved different Groundwater Sustainability Plans (GSPs) and organizational structures. This project will determine if statewide water policies such as SGMA and its GSAs are successfully scalable across California. The project will also survey GSA leaders, growers, and other water stakeholders in the study area to assess the effectiveness of the mandatory public outreach by the GSA and potential barriers to stakeholder engagement in the SGMA process.
What is SGMA WAVE?
Meet the SGMA WAVE Team
Mallory's Role: SGMA GSA Database
Elijah's Role: GIS Database
December 18th, 2024 | Barriers to SGMA Engagement; What do Farmers Think? | Webinar
One of CSU-WATER’s core projects has been on SGMA operations and impacts in the San Joaquin Valley. A key project component has been a farmer survey regarding SGMA engagement and views on the future with SGMA. Hundreds of responses paint a fascinating set of patterns you will want to hear about! The survey’s goals were to learn about barriers faced by farmers to engage with SGMA implementation. As the groundwater conversations move to fee structures, demand reduction and land repurposing strategies, it would be useful to know how farmers have perceived SGMA impacts, what their sources of information are, and what challenges remain in outreach and trust-building relationships. The survey was spearheaded by project Co-PI Anita Chaudhry, a water economist at Chico State. Many thanks to our cash match sponsors: Golden State Clean Energy, Maricopa Orchards, Aqaix, CA Fresh Fruit Association, and Wonderful Orchards And ‘in-kind’ sponsors and team members: Don Wright (WaterWrights.net), Paige Gilligan (Risk Management), and Joseph Gallegos (Umida Inc) For any questions or inquiries, please contact Steve Blumenshine, [email protected], or Anita Chaudhry, [email protected].
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Tracking the Impacts of Actionable Research
The California Strategic Growth Council coordinates and works collaboratively with public agencies, communities, and stakeholders to achieve sustainability, equity, economic prosperity, and quality of life for all Californians. As part of this mission, SGC regularly funds universities to undertake community-based participatory action research that will “move the needle", studies that lead to measurable and lasting improvement in sustainability and resilience of California communities.
CSU-WATER and Sonoma State will conduct an initial scoping of tools and resources that can be used to inform SGC grant and contract guidelines for the UC and CSU systems. Objectives and associated tasks include:
- Summarizing Best Practices for Measurable Change in California Communities.
- Identifying Case Studies with Examples of Best Practices.
- Developing a Toolset
- Refining SGC and Member Agency Practices
May 6, 2025 | SGC Actionable Research Project Survey Results | Webinar
Resources
Translating Academic Research into Community Benefits by CSU-WATER: SGC Capacity Building Grant Kick-Off
Disadvantaged Communities
The Disadvantaged Communities Center (DACC) brings students and faculty experts together to provide water management assistance to California’s most vulnerable communities. CSU-WATER’s Disadvantaged Communities Center has two sources of funding: the California State Water Resources Control Board via Proposition 1, and the Department of Water Resources (DWR).
What is Watertalks?
WaterTalks is a public program designed to generate and increase community involvement in planning a sustainable water future for California. Its goal is to explore the strengths and opportunities of 128 communities in Los Angeles and Ventura counties facing ongoing economic and environmental distress, and to gather input to prioritize and recommend water-related projects based on issues of greatest concern.
WaterTalks will be implemented in three phases. The first phase of WaterTalks outreach events are designed to educate and engage communities in the Los Angeles and Ventura counties facing ongoing economic and environmental distress, empowering them to engage in water planning including subsequent phases of WaterTalks.
https://watertalks.csusb.edu/
Presentations
Resources
CSU-WATER's Disadvantaged Communities Center has two sources of funding: the California State Water Resources Control Board via Proposition 1, and the Department of Water Resources (DWR).