From the Department of Water Resources, Sustainable Groundwater Management Program:
The Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) directs DWR to identify groundwater basins and subbasins that show obvious and significant negative impacts from chronic groundwater pumping. Those impacts include seawater intrusion, land subsidence, groundwater depletion, and/or chronic lowering of groundwater levels. DWR identified such basins in Bulletin-118, 1980 and in Bulletin 118, Update 2003. Bulletin 118 is a comprehensive report on California groundwater resources that is periodically updated by DWR. As required in the SGMA, all Bulletin 118 basins designated as high or medium priority and subject to critical conditions of overdraft shall be managed under a groundwater sustainability plan or coordinated groundwater sustainability plans by January 31, 2020; all other high and medium priority basins must be managed under a groundwater sustainability plan by January 31, 2022. The final results will be published in the next update of Bulletin 118 expected in late 2016.
Click here to view the list.
DWR has identified 21 groundwater basins and subbasins to be in conditions of critical overdraft. DWR will hold a public meeting to share the draft results, explain the process, and solicit public comment on August 25, 2015 at the Clovis Veterans Memorial District Auditorium, 808 4th St, in Clovis, CA 93612 from 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. The public meeting begins a 30-day comment period (from August 25, 2015 through September 25, 2015).
If local agencies are not in agreement with DWR’s draft determinations, basin managers have the option to provide compelling data and information to DWR for reconsideration. DWR will evaluate comments and data submitted and make any needed revisions.
A final list of critically overdrafted basins will be posted on the DWR Sustainable Groundwater Management website in October 2015 and published in an update of Bulletin 118 in late 2016.
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The Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) directs DWR to identify groundwater basins and subbasins that show obvious and significant negative impacts from chronic groundwater pumping. Those impacts include seawater intrusion, land subsidence, groundwater depletion, and/or chronic lowering of groundwater levels. DWR identified such basins in Bulletin-118, 1980 and in Bulletin 118, Update 2003. Bulletin 118 is a comprehensive report on California groundwater resources that is periodically updated by DWR. As required in the SGMA, all Bulletin 118 basins designated as high or medium priority and subject to critical conditions of overdraft shall be managed under a groundwater sustainability plan or coordinated groundwater sustainability plans by January 31, 2020; all other high and medium priority basins must be managed under a groundwater sustainability plan by January 31, 2022. The final results will be published in the next update of Bulletin 118 expected in late 2016.
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