California tries to harness megastorm floods to ease crippling droughts

[Auggie]

HURON, Calif., Nov 15 (Reuters)

Amid the cycles of wet and dry — both phenomena exacerbated by climate change — a coalition of local farmers and the nearby city of Huron are trying to turn former hemp and tomato fields into massive receptacles that can hold water as it percolates into the ground during wet years.

This project and others like it across California's Central Valley breadbasket aim to capture floodwaters that would otherwise rush out to the sea, or damage towns, cities and crops.

The new project, known as a recharge system, turns unused fields into large ponds to hold water so that it can percolate into the porous rock and earth below, creating or restoring an aquifer rather than rushing to the sea.

While the idea of storing water underground is not new, a recent California law regulating groundwater use has spurred a spate of projects that the state is helping to fund.

FULL STORY: https://www.reuters.com/business/cop/california-tries-harness-megastorm-floods-ease-crippling-droughts-2022-11-15/

I read about some local farmers taking the same action several years ago, but they were individual efforts sans any kind of official funding or oversight.

According to the link, "human-made aquifers and underground water banks will not solve all of California's water problems, but they can make a significant dent."