S4E05: SGMA Lesson from a Hydrologist | Thomas Harter, PhD

S4E05: SGMA Lesson from a Hydrologist | Thomas Harter, PhD This week, Allison Tristao and Paul Sousa of Western United Dairies interview Dr. Thomas Harter, PhD, Distinguished Professor of UC Davis Cooperative Extension. Dr. Harter is a hydrologist that has spent the majority of his career studying California’s most prized resource, water. In this episode, Allison, Paul and Dr. Harter discuss water from many different angles. 00:00 - Opening discussion 01:25 - Introduction by Allison Tristao 03:10 - Market Update by Tiffany LaMendola 06:00 - Start of Interview 06:23 - Dr. Thomas talks about he stumbled into hydrology 09:20 - How did SGMA come to fruition, and what was the intention of that program? 17:40 - SGMA & California’s regional diversity 22:35 - How can local agencies manage SGMA to reduce the negative impact on dairies and agriculture in general? 25:50 - The six indicators of a healthy aquifer: water levels, groundwater storage, water quality, seawater intrusion, land subsidence, groundwater-surface-water connectivity 30:00 - How can we, as individuals or regionally as an industry, improve even further on our water usage? 36:08 - The main challenge we face with groundwater recharge 40:15 - SGMA’s timeline is changing 50:23 - Land subsidence explained World Ag Expo Come see WUD at the World Ag Expo (WAE) at booths 6503 and 6603 in the Dairy Pavillion. See our schedule below. Tuesday, February 14, 2023 10 am – 12 pm: Get Free Legal Advice, from Anthony Raimondo with Raimondo and Associates 12 pm – 1 pm: Learn about Hiring with Lecheros Unidos de California 1 pm – 3 pm: Get Free Legal Advice, from Anthony Raimondo with Raimondo and Associates 3 pm – 5 pm: Chat with the CEO, Anja Raudabaugh Wednesday, February 15, 2022 9 am – 10 am: Learn about Hiring with Lecheros Unidos de California 10 am – 12 pm: What’s the Deal? Dairy Economics with Tiffany LaMendola 12 pm – 1 pm: Learn about Hiring with Lecheros Unidos de California 1 pm – 3 pm: Dairy Environmental In-the-Know, Paul Sousa 3 pm – 5 pm: Chat with the CEO, Anja Raudabaugh Thursday, February 16, 2023 9 am – 11 am: What’s the Deal? Dairy Economics with Tiffany LaMendola 1pm – 3 pm: Dairy Environmental In-the-Know, Paul Sousa If you have any questions regarding topics covered in this episode, please contact Allison at [email protected] To learn more about Western United Dairies, visit wudairies.com. Click Here to become a member!