Groundwater has proven to be a valuable savings account in California during the recent severe drought as surface water supplies have run short. This year brought some areas a temporary respite from the record dry conditions, allowing more focus on long-term California water issues. The greatest change is in groundwater management. Understanding California’s hydrogeology and patterns of groundwater use are vital to understanding the state’s future.

Our California Groundwater Tour on October 5-6 will immerse you in this important topic.

You won’t just hear from leaders in the field, you will experience groundwater in the field:

• Walk through a dairy, a vineyard, and orchards with their owners to learn how they use groundwater to feed the nation and strive to protect it from contamination.
• Peer into extensometers and other monitoring equipment to see tools used to measure groundwater. View Yolo County’s computer systems that provide real-time monitoring for hundreds of wells and allow water managers to react almost instantaneously to changing conditions.
• Speak to planners working on the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) in multiple groundwater basins who each face unique challenges.

You will also hear from leading experts in several disciplines. In addition to discussing SGMA, we will talk to experts on groundwater geology, recharge, overdraft, subsidence, drinking water quality, conservation and agricultural use.

For decades, the Foundation has  taken professionals and interested members of the public into the field to show them what most people only read about. This is not a tour we do every year, and this could  be the last chance to take a tour focused completely on groundwater for some time. Don’t miss out on this unique opportunity!

The tour begins and ends at Sacramento International Airport.

Click here to get more information and to buy tickets. Ask Tour Director Dan Scott any questions via email or phone at (916) 444-6240.