Aquifers Continued from Page 1
Eastern San Joaquin subbasin, Kings subbasin, Merced subbasin, Paso Robles subbasin and the Westside subbasin in Fresno and Kings counties. These basins will work with DWR and report on prog- ress in implementing plans and complet- ing any corrective actions. In response to DWR’s recommen- dation of approval for the plan for the Westside subbasin, Jeff Fortune, pres- ident of the Westlands Water District board of directors, said, “This result reflects a great deal of time and dedi- cation from Westlands’ staff and board of directors who worked diligently and collaboratively with DWR to build a groundwater sustainability plan that will achieve the Westside Subbasin’s sustainability goals.” DWR said the agencies whose plans were recommended for approval conduct- ed critical analysis of groundwater levels, water quality and inter-connected surface waters to develop and refine sustainable groundwater management criteria. Plans are to be updated over time as new data and information becomes available and as conditions change in groundwater basins. DWR will review annual reports from local agencies and assess plans every five years to deter- mine whether they are on track to meet sustainability goals. The California Farm Bureau, Johansson
said, will work with state and local agencies, county Farm Bureaus and agricultural groundwater users “on workable solu- tions to sustain healthy aquifers.” “Our groundwater supplies are critical for California farmers, including vegeta- ble, fruit, nut and dairy producers who account for much of America’s food sup- ply,” Johansson said. “It is important that California carefully considers solutions that protect both our aquifers and our food production.” Of a total 94 groundwater basins re- quired to submit plans under SGMA, state water officials provided deter- minations for 24 basins and is review- ing an additional 61 plans from 59 of California’s high- and medium-priority basins submitted to DWR in January 2022. DWR said it anticipates issuing de- terminations for the remaining basins throughout 2023. Critically overdrafted basins each re- ceived $7.6 million in grant funding to aid in plan implementation. DWR’s LandFlex program, state drought assistance pro- grams and the California Department of Conservation’s Multibenefit Land Repurposing program are trying to help critically overdrafted basins reduce their dependence on groundwater. (Christine Souza is an assistant editor of Ag Alert. She may contacted at csouza@cfbf.com.)
we are already working on resolution,” he said. “While we fix these issues, we are trying to figure out how we move out of this condition and away from pro- bation or failure (which could lead to a takeover of the GSA),” said Hagman, general manager of Lindmore Irrigation District, a federal water contractor in the Friant Division. If deficiencies are not remedied within a year, the board, after a subse- quent notice and hearing, may develop and adopt an interim plan to manage the basin’s groundwater use. An in- terim plan is a temporary measure to protect groundwater resources in the basin until GSAs are able to manage the basin sustainably. “There are a number of board deci- sions that need to be made about how this process will move forward and when,” said Natalie Stork, state water board supervising engineering geol- ogist of the groundwater management program. “If the board puts the basin on probation, then it will focus on collecting the information it needs to develop and implement its own plan to manage the basin. During this time, the board will collect data and fees while local agencies work to fix their plans.” DWR recommended the following six basins for approval: Cuyama basin,
he added, “we are looking to have the ba- sins continue with implementation.” Calling passage of SGMA “a seismic shift in California water,” California Farm Bureau President Jamie Johansson said, “It was never going to be easy to transi- tion on a timeline of just 20 years to elim- inate an estimated 2.5 million acre-feet of overdraft a year in our most impacted areas of the state.” “This action will trigger a process be- fore the water board that will afford local agencies additional opportunities to ad- dress identified problems, regain con- trol of their basins and, hopefully, avoid formal probationary status or the impo- sition of eventual state interim plans,” Johansson said. Local groundwater sustainability plans, or GSAs, must implement near- term actions, such as expanding moni- toring programs, reporting annually on groundwater conditions,implementing aquifer recharge projects and design- ing allocation programs. Once plans are implemented locally, measures must continue even if basins are under state intervention. Michael Hagman, executive director of the East Kaweah GSA, one of three GSAs in the Kaweah subbasin, said the local agency accepts the DWR’s finding. “The department’s decision makes sense, and
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March 8, 2023 Ag Alert 9
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