Westlands Water District has removed 452 acres of almond orchards thanks to a $1 million grant from the state Department of Water Resources (DWR.) It’s one project in an ongoing list aimed at bringing the district’s groundwater into sustainability.  “The district has been acquiring land since 2022 with the goal of reducing groundwater pumping in the subsidence prone area,” said Katarina Campbell, supervisor of resources for Westlands.  The trees have been removed but still need to be chipped and hauled. Then the land will be available for conversion into a recharge basin, which is the end goal, said Campbell.

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