COUNTYWIDE : Underground Basins Bolstered by Rains
Last month’s heavy rains are expected to restore some shallow ground-water basins to pre-drought levels and raise levels in other deeper aquifers as well, officials at the United Water Conservation District said Wednesday.
Shallow basins in the Santa Clara River Valley that supply Santa Paula, Fillmore and Piru should be restored to pre-drought levels by fall, but deeper basins that supply growers on the Oxnard Plain will take longer to recover, said James T. Gross, ground-water resources manager for the district.
Also, the district’s reservoir at Lake Piru is at its highest level in nine years and a steady flow from the Santa Clara River has allowed the district to divert about 29,000 acre-feet of water in the past month to help restore deep basins.
“Now, instead of being on the brink of disaster we’re back into the situation that we have a reliable water supply,” Gross said.
Gross said that the district’s reservoir at Lake Piru has about 74,000 acre-feet of water in storage, up 50,000 acre-feet since heavy rains began Feb. 5, Gross said.
About 75% of the water from aquifers monitored by the district goes to agriculture, Gross said.
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