Butte County advances pilot groundwater recharge projects using reverse tile drains and floodwater triggers

GeoSyntec project manager Joe Turner and county staff briefed the Butte County Water Commission on pilot groundwater-recharge work funded by the VINA SGMA grant, describing field tests, geophysical surveys and early monitoring results.

The presentation described two complementary goals: a water-supply feasibility study and on-the-ground recharge pilots intended to identify one or two sites with feasible designs and reliable infiltration. "The first pilot study that we just started this week is using what we call reverse tile drain," Turner said, explaining the method places perforated horizontal pipe roughly 12 feet deep to inject water below crop root zones so fields are not flooded. Turner added, "We are seeing the water recharging is hitting the groundwater."

Why it matters: the pilot work is meant to generate the site-specific infiltration rates, volumes and monitoring data that grant writers and project sponsors need to pursue larger, full-scale…