Dr. Horacio Ferriz is Stanislaus County’s geologist. Here is Part II of his interview with The Valley Citizen. Valley Citizen: Could you explain “mass balance” in layman’s terms? Dr. Ferriz: Mass balance is a fancy word to say that what comes in has to be the same as what goes out, plus/minus changes in storage. Imagine that the groundwater basin is like two stacked warehouses. Each warehouse is half full […]
Almond Orchards eastern Stanislaus County
County Geologist on Foothills Groundwater: Part I
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: […]
Groundwater and the Foothills Orchards
Some of our readers have remarked that Dr. Kennedy’s discussions (here and here) of the hydrogeology of the northern San Joaquin Valley may be beyond the scope of the layman. Below, we discuss groundwater in the foothills in simpler terms. First, however, consider the following observations by Karen Burow, a United States Geological Survey scientist, who did a 2004 study of groundwater in the Modesto Basin: “Water-level and pumping […]
Water Grab in the Foothills? Yes!
Dr. Vance Kennedy is a long time champion of farmers and farmland. Along with Wood Colony’s Jake Wenger and Modesto’s Denny Jackman, Dr. Kennedy is sponsoring an urban limits initiative that would protect prime farmland around Modesto. Like many Valley citizens, Dr. Kennedy is alarmed at intensive groundwater mining in the foothills of eastern Stanislaus County. His background as an award-winning hydrologist enables him to offer authoritative analysis of the […]
Dr. Kennedy’s Groundwater Fact List
The groundwater crisis in the San Joaquin Valley is especially critical. In Stanislaus County, tens of thousands of acres of new almond orchards have put a tremendous demand on groundwater, causing concern for the future of the aquifer. Many residential wells have run dry, yet thus far county supervisors have failed to take action. On June 28, Stanislaus County Supervisor Terry Withrow was quoted as saying, “We’ve got to stick […]