Desperate droughts produce desperate ideas. Water agencies store water underground then use it as needed. California Central Valley agriculture is facing 5% allocations of water. Orchards will die, crops will not be planted – unless someone finds some water somewhere.
Large amounts of water have been stored underground. To get it to farms, it will need to be pumped slightly uphill for 40 miles on the California Aqueduct.
Up to twelve diesel pumps, each the size of a large truck engine, would be installed temporarily. All together, they could move almost 8 million gallons of water a day.
“Our hope is that we’d get them installed at the beginning of summer and really meet a significant need of our growers,” says Beck. The project could be in place by July 1 and would cost up to $10 million dollars.