Dry year intensifies focus on California groundwater
ByDannyMerkley Each March, those of us involved in water policy commemorate National Groundwater Awareness Week. Because groundwater representssuchapreciousre-
Just last week, the state Department of Water Resources released a draft of its report called California’s Groundwater— Update 2020, also known as Bulletin-118. Thisupdateprovides anoverviewof state- wide groundwater activities, compiles technical information anddata from2003 to2020and takes intoaccount thepassage of SGMA in 2014. Additionally, the up- date discusses the condition of the state’s groundwater, which is especially import- ant asCalifornia faces acriticallydrywater year. FarmBureauwill reviewandanalyze the draft update; the public can comment throughApril 26. Recogni z ing the impor t ance of groundwater, the difficulties of under- standing SGMA, its complexities and its requirements, FarmBureau developed a series of brochures as a resource for farm- ers and ranchers. In addition to two main brochures providing general background, titled “SGMA andUnderstanding the Law” and “GroundwaterHydrology,”wehavedevel- oped four inserts, eachdevoted toadiffer- ent possible “undesirable result” under SGMA. Two additional inserts are being developed andwill soon be available. The brochures may be found on the California FarmBureau website at www. cfbf.com/top-issues; choose the link for Water and look for the tab labeled SGMA Brochures. In addition, glossy, color prints of all the materials are available at county FarmBureauoffices or via request to cfbf@cfbf.com. California farmers, ranchers and land- owners remain acutely aware of the im- portance of groundwater, every week and every day. (Danny Merkley is director of water re- sources for theCaliforniaFarmBureau. He may be reached at dmerkley@cfbf.com.)
source toCalifornia farmers and ranch- ers, Farm Bureau works to promote g r o u n d w a t e r awarenessthrough- out the year. In 2014, the state Legislature passed the Sustainable G r o u n d w a t e r Management Act,
Danny Merkley
or SGMA, themost sweeping water man- agement legislation in 100 years. Since then, theCaliforniaFarmBureauhasbeen assisting members with understanding, engaging and complyingwith SGMA. Groundwater aquifers are best under- stood andmanaged locally; therefore, the key to successfully implementing SGMA lies in maintaining local control, some- thing FarmBureau vigorously advocates. Inaddition,wehavestressedthat toreduce dependenceongroundwater, wemust ex- pand surface water storage and recharge our groundwater aquifers when excess water is available. Now, it’s up to us to pay careful atten- tion as SGMA progresses. It will require action to manage groundwater at the lo- cal level—and that’swhere FarmBureau’s strength lies. Fewotherorganizationshave the grassroots structure FarmBureau has. Unless March somehowmakes up for the lack of rain and snow thus far this winter, we could see an increased depen- dence on groundwater this growing sea- son. Groundwater should be our savings account to get us through such dry peri-
Believing groundwater aquifers are best understood and managed locally, Farm Bureau has ad- vocated for local control and produced materials to help members understand groundwater law.
basins in some areas. Though SGMA at- tempts to address the symptoms of our groundwater issues, it overlooks some foundational problems and leaves it to lo- cal users to figure out how they close any supply gaps theymay face. Theenactment of SGMAsent amessage tothoseofus inagriculturethatwemust re- mainunified. Productionofhealthful food, fiber and farmproductsdependsonwater, stored in the ground or above it in surface reservoirs. Our state’s entire population alsodependsonthatwater, andonthe food and farmproductswe farmers produce. Farmers and ranchers fromthroughout the state must put any regional or com- modity differences aside. We must work together to pursuemore new storage and bettermanagement of existing storage;we mustwork together on implementationof SGMA; we must work together to pursue every reasonable alternative to solve our state’s ongoingwater crisis.
ods. In farmingareas servedby federal and state water projects, farmersmay see only 5-10%of contract supplies for surfacewa- ter this year. As greater restrictionshavebeenplaced on surface water supplies—and the reli- ability of those supplies has becomemore circumscribed—cities, rural regions and farms have become more dependent on groundwater. We all recognize we must reduce overreliance on groundwater, but no reasonable person can argue that California can continue to growour econ- omyandhealthful foodand farmproducts without addressing our overall water sup- ply needs. Farmers of all sizes andof all commodi- ties, in every region of our state, have seen their water supplies reducedwell beyond the natural effects of climate or weather. Current political and regulatory policies have, in part, contributed to many of the groundwater issues we are experiencing today, including critically overdrafted
VOL. 48, NO. 11
March 17, 2021
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