Biola Groundwater Recharge Project

Project Overview

Biola Community Service District (CSD) is advancing its sustainability efforts through a partnership with the Fresno Irrigation District (FID). Together, they installed a turnout from FID’s Herndon Canal to deliver surface water to the Biola Groundwater Recharge Basin, a 6-acre storm drain basin in the small community of Biola. This turnout allows the basin to receive excess surface water during wet years for dedicated groundwater recharge, with the capacity to store about 30-acre feet of water for use during times of drought.

This project was made possible by the partnership between the FID and Biola CSD. Completed in April 2024, this project is a significant milestone, showcasing Biola’s commitment to achieving groundwater sustainability as a community. By increasing recharge capacity and securing an adequate water supply, Biola CSD can effectively offset the groundwater pumping that has occurred within its community.

In July 2026, the project reached a major milestone when the Biola Recharge Basin received its first surface water deliveries. This achievement enables Biola, a groundwater-dependent disadvantaged community in northwest Fresno County, to be fully groundwater sustainable. Biola CSD may be the first community to achieve this milestone within a critically overdrafted groundwater basin, as designated by the California Department of Water Resources.