Schuster Subsurface Recharge Project (Project)

The Schuster Subsurface Recharge Project consists of construction of a 100-acre subsurface recharge site consisting of a network of buried pipeline infiltration gallery spanning the entire parcel, equipped with a filtration system to filter the water prior to introduction to the infiltration gallery, metered connections to record deliveries to the site, and a dedicated monitoring system to monitor water levels. The pipeline infiltration gallery includes approximately 2,755 linear feet of mainline subsurface pipeline ranging in diameter from 8- to 15-inches, and approximately 42,775 linear feet of lateral subsurface pipeline ranging in diameter from 4- to 6-inches. The filtration system includes three gravity screen filter stations with electrical tie-in. The metered connections include the construction of three new turnouts ranging in diameter from 10- to 12-inches equipped with flowmeters, discharge pipeline and pipeline appurtenances. The monitoring network includes monitoring wells, equipped with dataloggers to record water levels. The subsurface recharge facilities would be installed in a fallow agricultural field owned by the District that is currently used for surface recharge. Project construction will involve minor trenching and backfilling such that the surface is restored to substantially the same condition as before the Project, and will not involve removal of healthy, mature, scenic trees. The recharge facility will be used to recharge available surface water supplies in the underlying aquifer and assist in achieving sustainable groundwater management within the boundaries of the District and its groundwater sustainability agency (GSA). Landowners and water users within the District and the GSA will benefit from the Project and it will have substantially the same capacity and purpose as the surface recharge facility that the Project is replacing.