• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

The Valley Citizen

Pursuing truth toward justice

The Valley Citizen

Pursuing truth toward justice
  • Arts
  • Education
  • Environment
  • History
  • Nature
  • Politics
  • Wit
  • About

County Geologist on Foothills Groundwater: Part I

August 1, 2014 By Eric Caine Leave a Comment

Dr. Horacio Ferriz
Dr. Horacio Ferriz

The Valley Citizen is committed to bringing as much science as possible to the ongoing dialogue about water in the San Joaquin Valley. Stanislaus County’s resident geologist is an internationally acclaimed consultant on geohydrology and geology. Dr. Horacio Ferriz also teaches a wide range of courses at California State University, Stanislaus. He has an earned PhD from Stanford University. Dr. Ferriz generously offered the following interview via email.

Valley Citizen: Your biographical information lists you as the Stanislaus County geologist. Have you been consulted by the county about groundwater pumping in eastern Stanislaus County?

Dr. Ferriz: Yes. I have my desk a few steps away from that of Mr. Walt Ward, County Manager of Water Resources, and we have a chance to talk about current issues. Mr. Ward has asked my opinion about very specific matters, such as the best information to include on a water database for the County, or the type of sediments that are likely to behave as aquifers on eastern Stanislaus County. Of course you realize that water resources management is 50% a technical issue, 25% a legal issue, and 25% a political issue. I mention this because historically, in California, the owner of the land has the legal right to extract groundwater to put it to a beneficial use. You or I might think that this right should be curtailed during times of drought, but the law is the law, and can only be challenged through the time-honored and battle-tested court system.

Valley Citizen: Given almonds need three acre feet a year to be productive, in your professional opinion, how sustainable are the 30,000+ acres in the foothills without tapping surface water?

Dr. Ferriz: Well, assuming 10% porosity in the aquifer, you would have to drain 10 ft of the aquifer for every foot of water, or 30 ft of draining for the three feet required. So, for every year you irrigate the crop, the water level would drop 30 ft. The saturated section of the basin is about 1,000 ft thick, but let’s say that we are prudent and would like to operate it over a 100 ft range. If this is the case, then we should be able to water the orchards for 3 years using groundwater. It may not be much, and if our surface water supplies fail for more than 3 years, then it may be necessary to think about letting them die. This is a back of the envelope calculation, so clearly it would be a good idea for farmers to keep track of the static water level in their wells (it would be an even better idea to share the data with the County, so we can put the big picture together).

I should point out that a lot of the new orchards in eastern Stanislaus County are being supplied with surface water by Oakdale Irrigation District, and that as far as I understand this year OID was able to supply the full allotment. It is the progress of the next three years that will be of crucial importance to the well-being of the economy of the County and its residents!

Valley Citizen: A Superior Court Judge just ruled that pumping groundwater affected flows on the Scott River. How likely is it that large pumps (300-350 HP) near rivers, lakes, and reservoirs affect flows and water levels in those rivers, lakes, and reservoirs?

Dr. Ferriz: It really depends on whether the wells are screened in the unconsolidated sediments of the river or lake, or in the rocks on which the stream sediments rest. Thinking about the Stanislaus or Tuolumne Rivers, a well within 2,000 ft of the river, and screened on the young, unconsolidated sediments, is very likely to affect the base flow of the river (base flow is the flow of groundwater into the river). In contrast, wells that are more than 2,000 ft from the river or lake, and are screened into the harder sedimentary or metamorphic rocks is not very likely to affect base flow.

Since you mentioned the decision of a Superior Court judge, I have to say that the legal process through the courts is the mechanism that is available for people to try to right a perceived wrong. I am definitely not in favor of this solution, but I have inherent trust in the legal process. Me, I would first talk with that person or company who you have an issue with, and see if a solution acceptable to both can be achieved by negotiation. Educate yourself in the process (my class in Development of Water Resources at CSU Stanislaus this Fall term would be a great place to start), and consult with your County Geologist or your County Manager of Water Resources. If negotiation, civil conversation, and your own willingness to compromise fail, well then you may consider the legal process.

Valley Citizen: Wouldn’t wells screened on the young, unconsolidated sediments near rivers, lakes and reservoirs be more productive and reliable than those screened into harder rocks and thus more attractive to growers?

Dr. Ferriz: Yes, those growers who have the good luck of farming within a few thousand feet from a river, lake, or reservoir could probably drill shallow wells that are very productive. And yes, those wells would eventually be recharged from those bodies of water. Is this “taking” surface water without a permit? Unfortunately the law is unclear in this respect, and court decisions have gone both ways, depending on whether a party is directly injured or not.

Next: Mass balance, subsidence, sedimentation, and more…

 

Filed Under: Environment, Featured Tagged With: Almond Orchards eastern Stanislaus County, Stanislaus County groundwater

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Note: Some comments may be held for moderation.

Primary Sidebar

Off The Wire

In California?s Heartland, a New Resistance Movement Is Taking Root
In California’s Heartland, a New Resistance Movement Is Taking Root
How do you change a place as polluted and desperately unequal as the San Joaquin Valley?
www.nytimes.com
America?s Approach to Addiction Has Gone Off the Rails
America’s Approach to Addiction Has Gone Off the Rails
In a time of fentanyl and meth, we need to use law enforcement differently and more often.
www.theatlantic.com
Plastic Pollution Is So Pervasive That It?s Causing a New Disease in Seabirds
Plastic Pollution Is So Pervasive That It’s Causing a New Disease in Seabirds
Researchers coined the term “plasticosis” to describe stomach damage related to ingesting trash.
www.audubon.org
'Greedflation,' Conspiracy Theories, And Conspiracy
‘Greedflation,’ Conspiracy Theories, And Conspiracy
This article is part of TPM Cafe, TPM?s home for opinion and news…
talkingpointsmemo.com
White House plan to fight antisemitism takes on centuries of hatred in America
White House plan to fight antisemitism takes on centuries of hatred in America
Recommended steps include raising awareness of antisemitism now and in the past, expanding knowledge of Jewish heritage in the US
www.timesofisrael.com
Oath Keepers leader Rhodes sentenced to 18 years for Jan. 6 seditious conspiracy
Oath Keepers leader Rhodes sentenced to 18 years for Jan. 6 seditious conspiracy
Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes faces a prison sentence up to 25 years in the first punishments for seditious conspiracy in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack.
www.washingtonpost.com
Opinion | America?s Poverty Is Built by Design
Opinion | America’s Poverty Is Built by Design
How did the U.S. become a land of economic extremes with the rich getting richer while the working poor grind it out? Deliberately.
www.politico.com
Republican Jewish Coalition Blasts Gosar Over Staffer's Ties To White Supremacist: Fuentes Has 'No Place' In Congress
Republican Jewish Coalition Blasts Gosar Over Staffer’s Ties To White Supremacist: Fuentes Has ‘No Place’ In Congress
The Republican Jewish Coalition slammed Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ) following a  TPM…
talkingpointsmemo.com
Newsom restores floodplain funds, adds $290 million to flood control budget
Newsom restores floodplain funds, adds $290 million to flood control budget
After widespread, bipartisan criticism, the governor revised his budget to include $40 million to restore San Joaquin Valley floodplains.
calmatters.org
New Study Finds a High Minimum Wages Creates Jobs
New Study Finds a High Minimum Wages Creates Jobs
Conventional wisdom had long suggested the opposite.
nymag.com
Spiraling in San Francisco?s Doom Loop
Spiraling in San Francisco’s Doom Loop
What it’s like to live in a city that no longer believes its problems can be fixed.
www.curbed.com
San Diego to open homeless camp sites at two parking lots near Balboa Park
San Diego to open homeless camp sites at two parking lots near Balboa Park
The two lots could accommodate about 500 tents and would be an alternative to congregate shelters
www.sandiegouniontribune.com

Find us on Facebook

The Valley Citizen
PO Box 156
Downtown Bear Postal
1509 K Street
Modesto, CA 95354

Email us at:
thevalleycitizen@sbcglobal.net

Footer

The Valley Citizen
PO Box 156
Downtown Bear Postal
1509 K Street
Modesto, CA 95354

Email us at:
thevalleycitizen@sbcglobal.net

Subscribe for Free

* indicates required

Search

• Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2023 The Valley Citizen

Dedicated to the memory of John Michael Flint. Contact us at thevalleycitizen@sbcglobal.net

Editor and publisher: Eric Caine

Website customization and maintenance by Susan Henley Design