State Water Board and DWR outline next phase of SGMA implementation, stress subsidence mitigation and outreach

State Water Resources Control Board staff and the Department of Water Resources (DWR) told the board April 15 that California is moving from planning into active implementation of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), with new emphasis on subsidence, outreach to underrepresented groundwater users and the mechanics of extraction reporting.

The presentations, led by Natalie Stork, director of the board’s Office of Sustainable Groundwater Management, and Paul Gosselin, DWR deputy director for Sustainable Water Management, summarized recent probationary designations, described enhancements to the board’s Groundwater Extraction Annual Reporting System (GEERS), and previewed forthcoming guidance and potential regulations on subsidence and on depletion of interconnected surface water.

Why it matters: SGMA requires local Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSAs) to achieve sustainability within 20 years. Where local plans are found inadequate, the State Water Board can place basins on probation and, if necessary, develop interim plans. The board emphasized that state involvement is intended as a temporary backstop while local agencies correct deficiencies.

Board staff reviewed the six critically…