California’s persistent drought is increasing pressure on legislators to regulate groundwater, and some growers, like Paramount Farms, are worried about its implementation. Bill Phillimore, Executive Vice President for Paramount Farms, recently discussed these concerns at the 2014 Water Technology Conference in Clovis, California, highlighting the San Joaquin Valley’s shrinking total farm acres and the dwindling surface water supplies.
“Are we really going to go out and meter every well in the Valley? Putting meters on wells is expensive,” said Phillimore. Phillimore said he would like to see more attention paid to developing technology of how to measure water use – information that might help check water consumption, according to The Fresno Bee.
Paramount Farms is taking a huge undertaking of its own this year with an investigation in drought management. “On the west side, we are going to run one of the largest experiments anyone has ever run in drought management this year,” he said.
Paramount has already done its own research with a pistachio that has not been given water for three years. The tree reportedly survived, but just how sustainable are projects like these?
“What we don’t know is how long production will be interrupted,” Phillimore explained. “The tree may look great, but if it takes another three years to produce a crop, it isn’t going to do us much good.”
Meanwhile, groundwater pumping in the Valley is apparently consuming twice as much as the natural recharge rate which is causing the ground to sink, as we previously reported on ANUK. Thousands of acres have already been taken out of production, and hundreds of acres of almond trees have been bulldozed, according to The Fresno Bee.
Click here to read: Well-Drilling is Big Business in Central Valley as CA Drought Persists
Companies like Hollandia Produce, L.P. are already taking technological measures to conserve water during this severe drought. Check out our story below to see Hollandia’s latest water conservation efforts.
Click here to read: Hollandia Uses Advanced Hydroponics to Conserve Water
With projects like this, it’s clear that farmers are already making a concerted effort find new ways to save water. I would be interested in seeing what other ways companies are using technology to optimize their water usage.
Stay tuned to AndNowUKnow as we continue our coverage on California’s continuing drought.
Paramount Farms
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Paramount Farms
Paramount Farms is the largest grower and processor of almonds and pistachios in the world. Our majestic orchards thrive…
