Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/267019
5 6 V I N E YA R D & W I N E RY M A N A G E M E N T | M a r - A p r 2 014 w w w. v w m m e d i a . c o m reported wells going dry, and others had major reduc- tions in flow rates. Sorensen said the Estrella subarea represents 16% of the basin area, but accounts for 40% of basin pumping. "The last few years of signifi- cantly less rainfall has exacerbated the situation, but this is not a drought problem, it's a demand problem," Sorensen said. TACKLING THE ISSUE Two groups have formed to address the issue. The Paso Robles Agricultural Alliance for Ground- water Solutions represents many commercial vine- yard owners and supports formation of a California water district. Paso Robles groundwater basin Over- liers for Water Equity represents rural residential landowners who seek protection of private property water rights and water management solutions. The two groups have worked on creating a water district with board membership that fairly represents all par- ties. State legislation and approval by the county's Local Agency Formation Commission are required to establish the district. VT participated in local meetings and on the steering committee of stakeholders to evaluate groundwater issues. The committee made several recommendations, one being to require meters on all wells. Some growers have voluntarily installed meters on well pumps, and monitor and record irriga- tion applications, but Sorensen said a majority of the basin's outflows are not measured. "We don't have as much data as we'd like," he said. VT received funding from the Natural Resources Conservation Service Conservation Innovation Grant program to conduct irrigation monitoring and man- agement demonstrations in vineyards in the Paso Robles area. This is a science-based, peer-reviewed program with an emphasis on improving well, pump and irrigation system efficiencies; monitoring and metering well flow rates and irrigation water applica- tions; using sensor technologies to monitor soil and plant water status; and better using weather data for irrigation scheduling. VT seeks installation of more weather stations in the Paso Robles area under the California Irrigation Management Information System to provide publicly accessible data for all growers. Mark Battany, University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) viticulture advisor for San Luis Obis- po and Santa Barbara counties, has been monitoring irrigation applications in the Estrella-Creston subarea of concern since 2010, using pressure switches con- nected to irrigation lines in vineyard blocks. Switch operation is tracked by a data logger, with data used to calculate run time and volume of water applied based on the design application rate of each irrigation sys- tem. UCCE received a USDA Specialty Crop Grant to continue and expand this study through 2016. "Based on records I've seen, many growers are doing an excellent job in terms of their irrigation man- agement," Beal said. "That said, there are people who