SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Some farms grow or raise one type of crop or animal, not Ken Oneto’s.
“We have wine grapes, walnuts and cherries,” Oneto said. “We also grow some winter forage mix for some local dairies and some silo corn.”
There’s a lot trying to grow on Oneto’s farm. And that means as Oneto surveys his land each day, water, and how readily available it is, is never far from his mind.
“Trees, vines and most crops, you know long-term crops, we have to be very conscious on the availability of water for their lifetime. This is a big investment and if I don’t have a good source of water for their life, that’s a big financial risk,” he said.
Currently, Oneto draws all of his water from the ground. Experts report in California we over draw 2.7 million acre-feet of water each year. Oneto and several farmers in Sacramento County will soon have a new water source, recycled water from the newly upgraded wastewater treatment facility. News that Oneto said piqued his interest.
“It was intriguing because it gives me another secure source of water for my property,” he said.
The facility sits around 10 miles North of Oneto’s farm. Mike Crooks is the deputy director of operations at the facility and said when all is said and done, the project will cost close to $2 billion, and produce water almost good enough to drink.
“Now, since almost all of our water is going to be filtered, we’re able to send all of that to agriculture properties,” Crooks said.
The facility serves about 1.6 million people, meaning a decent amount of recycled water to farmers that would otherwise be pumped out into the Sacramento River.
“Somewhere between 80 million to 100 million gallons per day. And we can send all of that to those agricultural properties south of us,” Crooks said.
During winter when many farm fields lie dormant waiting for spring and will not need water, Crooks said the recycled water could be used to help restore wildlife habitat.
Finished construction on the pipeline is expected by late 2025, early 2026.
Crooks believes even though the population of Sacramento is expected to grow significantly over the next 10-20 years, the facility will not need to be upgraded again for the foreseeable future. Because water systems in buildings and homes are becoming increasingly more water efficient.
For Oneto, he said the talks so far with Crooks and the people at the facility on what it will cost farmers to use the recycled water when it’s available, have been positive.
“It has to make economic sense to be using their water over what I have currently,” Oneto said.
An important factor, Oneto said, so he can continue farming, and taking care of the surrounding environment.