[The Counterattack]
Unlike in Korea, the nights in America are terrifying. That’s why, except for a few special occasions, I always made sure to head home as soon as evening approached. But tonight, I couldn't leave.
Clatter!
Dominic Smith pulled various pieces of equipment from the back of his truck: a water level meter, a pressure sensor, sample collection bottles, and a laptop. Rolling up his sleeves, he turned to me.
"The data is too consistent during the day, so it’s hard to get a clear flow pattern. Because water disputes are so common, most farms that use a lot of water run their pumps at night. That’s why now is the real deal."
I turned on my flashlight to assist him.
"What kind of disputes usually happen around here?"
"In the Lodi area... well, there are too many. Once, a farm up north on McGill Road drilled a well 600 feet deep."
"Oh, man..."
I let out a sigh of dismay, already guessing what had happened.
"Haha, you can picture it, right? As a result, the water levels of eight farms within a one-mile radius dropped by more than four feet simultaneously."
"Ah..."
"That much is common. And there was a case southwest of here, near the Mokelumne River, where an alfalfa farm and a dairy farm were side-by-side. The alfalfa farm drilled their well so deep that the nitrate levels in the groundwater skyrocketed. Eventually, two nearby vineyards detected nitrate levels over 45mg/L, exceeding the drinking water standard. Naturally, lawsuits flew everywhere... it was chaos."
"I bet."
"But that’s something that can happen logically. There was also a ridiculous case. There’s a series of large walnut farms northwest of here, and one of them blocked a tributary of the Mokelumne River to create its own private reservoir."
"Haha..."
"The vineyards downstream from that tributary sued them, and it was a total mess."
Chatting like this, we gathered our equipment and moved, first checking the well at the pear orchard.
When we opened the well cover, a damp, earthy smell wafted up. Dominic connected the sensor to a cable and slowly lowered it into the well. A 'beep' sounded three times, and a blue graph appeared on the laptop monitor.
"218 feet. Water pressure 0.73 psi. It’s normal. But looking at the graph..."
As I listened to him and looked at the laptop screen, I could see the high-frequency line trembling gently.
"Someone else is running a pump somewhere else, aren't they?"
Mr. Dominic looked at me with surprised eyes.
"Where did you learn that?"
"...In school."
"Ah! Mr. Pierce was right to praise you... Anyway, looking at the numbers, it seems someone else is pumping right now, so let’s move quickly."
We quickly retrieved the equipment and walked briskly to the car. After driving south for about ten minutes, we carefully checked several farm wells.
After repeating the process of checking and moving, about two hours later, we entered a pistachio farm. As soon as we stepped out, I felt a low vibration under my feet.
Hummm—
"You feel that?"
I nodded.
"Yes."
"Let’s go."
We moved quickly and approached the well. We buried a piezometer about two meters from the well. Mr. Dominic’s face hardened slightly as he checked the readings.
"Pressure 0.64... it dropped suddenly."
"That means the water pressure in this aquifer is being drained right now, right?"
"Exactly."
It meant someone was pumping water. I noticed the well cover was trembling slightly. When I placed my hand near the lid, I could feel air hissing out.
"Wait? This isn't just drawing water; it’s backflowing."
Dominic Smith checked the graph again, confirmed the wild fluctuations, and said,
"This is definitely strange. It’s not a normal pressure fluctuation. Someone is manipulating the aquifer pressure in reverse."
Dominic collected the water seeping through the gaps in the well cover into a sample bottle. It wasn't a large amount, so he filled it about a third of the way and closed the lid.
"By comparing the temperature and electrical conductivity (EC), we can tell if the layers have mixed."
"Let's go, then."
"Yes."
We quickly left the farm, drove back, and returned to the pear orchard office.
"How did it go?"
Chloe, who had been waiting in the office, tense with anxiety, brushed the dirt off my clothes and asked. I set down the equipment we had brought back and said,
"Someone was running a pump at that pistachio farm far away. We’ll know the details once the results from the data we secured come back."
"Take a look at this first."
Dominic took out the laptop and the glass bottle filled with water. Even though it was groundwater, the water in the bottle didn't look clear at all. Under the indoor lights, it had a subtle, cloudy sheen that reflected the light.
He inserted a portable EC meter into the bottle and checked the reading. When it hit 1.41 mS/cm, his face lit up, and he said,
"This is quite high in salinity. The salinity of the upper layer is roughly 0.9. The aquifer south of Lodi contains older groundwater with a higher mineral concentration, which means water from a deeper layer has been pulled up."
I let out a sigh and asked,
"So, it’s proven that we aren't the cause?"
"Exactly. It seems like they are sucking the aquifer dry from beneath that pistachio farm. This data is sufficient evidence."
The next day, Mr. Dominic visited the pear orchard office with a well-prepared document.
"Here is the prepared material. Take a look."
Knowing he was coming, Chloe and I had been at the pear orchard since the morning, and we checked the report he had prepared.
《Well Interference & Pressure Dynamics Analysis – Lodi Pear Orchard》
The report was excellently crafted based on the various data we had collected and verified. It wasn't just a well-made report; I was even more pleased with the signature, 'Hydrogeologist Dominic Smith,' which would add authority to the document.
I could have made the report myself, but I paid him specifically for that signature.
"This is what I’m here for."
"We’re still grateful. Here is the agreed-upon fee, plus a little extra."
Chloe handed him the payment in cash she had prepared in advance, and then we headed back to the Lodi County Administrative Office.
Having been there before, we were familiar with the place and immediately requested to see Nancy, the paralegal. Before long, the inner door opened, and the middle-aged woman I had seen before walked out, clutching a file folder.
It was Nancy Hamilton.
"You’re here."
"It was quite a struggle."
At my reply, she smiled faintly.
"I can tell by your expression. Come on in."
Once inside the small consultation room, Nancy sighed and took a sip of coffee.
"It’s rare for a farm owner to come back so quickly and confidently with documents in hand. Especially since you’re young and likely don't have much experience in farming..."
"Chloe’s father has been running a cherry farm for a long time. She learned farming right alongside him, so despite her age, she has plenty of experience."
"I see. Good. And the additional documents...?"
"Here they are."
I carefully handed over Dominic’s report. She flipped through the first, second, and third pages, but her movement stopped around the fourth.
"Hydrogeologist Dominic Smith... You went through a proper verification process with a hydrology consultant? The figures are quite detailed, too... You’ve prepared thoroughly."
"We’re innocent, so we wanted to resolve this as quickly as possible. Can we formally amend our objection with this?"
"Of course. We’ll go with three things: a Reconsideration Request, a Stay of Order, and a request for independent technical verification. The basic forms are already in, so we just need to swap out the attachments."
Nancy immediately took out a new folder and placed the cover of Dominic’s report at the very front. Soon, a large red stamp was pressed onto it.
[ATTACHMENT – TECHNICAL MEMO]
[SUBMITTED BY – LODI FARM BUREAU]
"From now on, we’ll handle it. The investigator doesn't have the authority to dismiss this. That person only writes field reports. The judgment will be made by the Hearing Office above."
Chloe, who had been listening, leaned forward.
"Then that investigator can't do anything to us?"
"They’ve already issued a temporary suspension order, so they won't withdraw it immediately. However... with this data, obtaining a 'stay of temporary effect' should be easy. And it will likely be overturned at the hearing."
I asked again,
"How long will it take?"
"You’ll hear from the Hearing Office within ten days. Two weeks at the latest."
It was frustratingly slow, especially during the time when water was needed most, but there was nothing we could do.
On the way back to the farm, Chloe sighed heavily.
"This is a big problem. What do we do?"
"The good news is that thanks to the biochar, our water usage is low... and it’s fortunate that it’s only the end of February."
Because the charcoal retained water for as long as possible, it was a saving grace, and from late February to March, pear trees were in a state of physiological dormancy, just beginning to wake up, so water consumption wasn't high to begin with.
"So you’re saying it’s okay?"
"Yes, we’ll be fine without water supply up to that point. It would be a problem if it went beyond that."
"Whew... then there’s no problem."
Even though she was angry about the injustice, Chloe smiled and let out a sigh of relief when I told her there would be no problem with the pear farming. Seeing her care more about the crops than herself made me smile, realizing she had truly become a real farmer.
"Don't worry. The pears will be fine."
And exactly ten days later, the phone rang. It was the Lodi County Administrative Office.
"Hello?"
"Is this Ms. Chloe Harris? This is the Hearing Office of the Lodi County Administrative Office. I have good news. The temporary suspension order has been changed to 'stayed status.' The NSJWCD has begun a re-examination, and a hearing date has been set. That means... you can restart your well operations starting today."
"Eek! Thank you!"
Chloe cheered immediately. She notified me of the happy news right away, and when I arrived at the farm, I could see the sprinklers already in full operation.
"Now we can use water as much as we want."
"That’s great."
"Yeah, now I can sleep with peace of mind."
I patted her shoulder lightly and said,
"But it’s not over yet."
"It’s not over?"
"Of course not. If we just let it slide like this, they might harass the farm again for some other reason."
From the beginning, this felt like an attempt to break in the local farmers. Could they have made such a protest when Mr. Frederick, the previous owner, was here? Probably not.
Because a young woman had become the owner, they had colluded to make things easier for themselves, and if this had worked, they would have used water even more freely in the future. But would it really end with water? Considering the various environmental regulations a farm must follow, I couldn't be sure that something like this wouldn't happen again.
"Then what are you going to do?"
"We can't just sit here."
By the afternoon, we arrived at the Lodi County Administrative Office again. Perhaps because this was our third meeting, Nancy’s face now felt familiar.
"I heard the temporary suspension was stayed. Congratulations."
I nodded and spoke first this time.
"Thank you. But... I’m here for a different reason today."
"Oh? What is it?"
I slid a USB drive across the desk.
"I want to formally report the pistachio farm to the NSJWCD. Reverse pumping, excessive water withdrawal, aquifer disturbance. We want to make the damage we suffered official."