Conjunctive Use – Making the Most of our Water Resources
Groundwater is one of the Sacramento region’s most important resources. Sacramento Suburban Water District (SSWD) is investing in programs and infrastructure to make the most of our groundwater and surface water resources to meet the needs of our community today and into the future.
Utilizing a strategy known as conjunctive use, SSWD closely manages its water supply system to take advantage of surface water when it’s available from the American River. Groundwater supplies can then be “banked” or reserved for use in dry times when surface water isn’t as readily available.
In addition to diversifying the District’s water supply sources, conjunctive use allows SSWD to reduce groundwater pumping at key times to replenish groundwater basins and safeguard them for future use.
Each year, SSWD documents the amount of groundwater pumping it forgoes as a result of conjunctive use efforts. Formal statements filed with the State Water Resources Control Board identify the exact amount of surface water used in-lieu of pumping groundwater in a one-year period. Filing these documents each year ensures that SSWD retains the rights to use groundwater in dry years when surface water is not available.
New Facilities Play Key Role
An integral part of the District’s conjunctive use program is the Enterprise / Northrop Reservoir completed in October 2006. The $7.8 million project, which included a 5 million gallon capacity reservoir, a booster pump system and an interconnection to the City of Sacramento’s water system, allows SSWD to receive and store treated surface water from the lower American River. The water purchased from the City is used to supplement groundwater supplies in SSWD’s South Service Area. The additional water halts the previous overtaxing of the groundwater aquifer and leads to stabilization of this precious resource.
The District has begun construction of a dual-purpose production well on Verner Avenue. The well, which replaces an aging well in the area, will produce groundwater for use in the District’s water system and also provide SSWD with the ability to inject high quality, treated surface water into the aquifer to replenish the groundwater basin. This aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) capability will improve the District’s overall water supply reliability and provide additional opportunities to replenish groundwater when surface water supplies are plentiful.
The new production / ASR well is scheduled to be operational in the summer of 2009. The $2.4 million project is funded in part by a $750,000 grant through Proposition 50.
