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Board adopts amended Eastern San Joaquin Subbasin groundwater plan; DWR corrective actions addressed
Summary
After a public hearing, the Board approved the 2024 amended Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP) and first periodic evaluation for the Eastern San Joaquin subbasin; the amended plan addresses eight Department of Water Resources corrective actions and was adopted 5-0.
The San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors voted 5-0 Jan. 14 to adopt the 2024 amended Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP) and the first periodic evaluation for the Eastern San Joaquin subbasin and authorized submission to the California Department of Water Resources (DWR).
Deputy Director Alex Shetley and Public Works Director Fritz Buckman summarized the GSP’s background, saying the subbasin is designated high priority and critically overdrafted under the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA). The amended plan incorporates updated modeling and technical memoranda and addresses eight corrective actions DWR requested after a prior review.
Why it matters: SGMA requires critically overdrafted basins to reach sustainability by 2040; failure to adopt an adequate plan can trigger state intervention, restrictions on pumping or penalties. Buckman noted that all 16 groundwater sustainability agencies (GSAs) in the subbasin coordinated the amendment through the Eastern San Joaquin Groundwater Authority (GWA).
The presentation outlined monitoring results and projects: groundwater levels are stable at many wells but declining at some; modeled subbasin loss averaged roughly 89,000 acre-feet per year from 2019 through 2023; recharge and project planning are underway and groundwater quality and subsidence were not identified as critical barriers in the first periodic review.
Board action: After a public hearing with no speakers, Supervisor Rickman moved approval; the vote was unanimous. Staff will submit the amended GSP and first periodic evaluation to DWR by the GWA’s Jan. 29, 2025 deadline.
Ending: Supervisors emphasized local control and the need to continue monitoring and projects that increase groundwater recharge to meet long-term sustainability goals.
