The first step to the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, also known as the SGMA, is to form local water management entities and that process is proving to be difficult.
Local Water Management Proving Difficult
To keep water management local, the SGMA is asking for local water management entities to be formed on their own but Tulare County Farm Bureau Executive Director Tricia Stever-Blattler says even that step is a difficult process for some groups.
More about the SGMA
For the first time in California history, the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) empowers local agencies to adopt groundwater management plans that are tailored to the resources and needs of their communities. Good groundwater management will provide a buffer against drought and climate change, and contribute to reliable water supplies regardless of weather patterns. California depends on groundwater for a major portion of its annual water supply, and sustainable groundwater management is essential to a reliable and resilient water system. The California Groundwater website offers links and news from state, local and non-governmental agencies. Find out more at groundwater.ca.gov
2015 Amendments Added to 2014 SGMA Legislation
An updated copy of the 2014 Sustainable Groundwater Management Legislation includes 2015 amendments that clarify requirements for groundwater sustainability agency formation, the process for State Water Board intervention if no responsible agency is specified for a basin, guidelines for high- and medium-priority basins, and participation of mutual water companies in a groundwater sustainability agency. This easy to read version of the legislation has a user-friendly table of contents and section headings.