Groundwater Management

California’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) provides a statewide framework for local groundwater management in California. Passed in 2014, the landmark legislation requires newly formed groundwater agencies to write and adopt Groundwater Sustainability Plans (GSP) to improve groundwater conditions. Below are some resources to aid in understanding the implications of SGMA. I provide information here regarding: (1) the content of a groundwater sustainability plan, (2) the costs associated with different management strategies for achieving groundwater sustainability, and (3) the implications for agriculture.

Groundwater Sustainability Plans

Groundwater Exchange is a collaborative online platform to share information related to the implementation of SGMA.

Stakeholders have an opportunity to influence this process. Here’s a sample public comment submitted to the North Kings GSA considering the potential impacts to small farms.


Demand and Supply Management

This Global Water Forum article discusses the potential for supply-side (recharge) strategies statewide.


Check out these relevant ARE Discussions webinars:

Groundwater Markets

Managed Aquifer Recharge

Lessons from Fisheries Management


Land Fallowing and Impacts to Agriculture

How will climate change and SGMA shape the agricultural landscape of 2050? Read more here.

Check out these relevant UC ANR Water Webinars:

Water Economics

Ellen Bruno, UC Berkeley

Frontiers in Groundwater Management

Thomas Harter, UC Davis

The Global Value of Water in Agriculture

Paolo D’Odorico, UC Berkeley