Through challenges of drought, locally led solutions for groundwater sustainability are advancing
“California’s groundwater basins are a critical part of the state’s water supply for millions of people. Small communities rely on it, individual homes rely on it. It is a source of drinking water as well as irrigation for California’s agricultural community. Groundwater is a fragile lifeline for some communities and as we find ourselves entering a third year of a severe drought, conservation will be critical as many of the monitoring wells statewide now show groundwater levels below historical average. Despite this year’s dire drought circumstances, there is hope on the horizon for long-term groundwater sustainability and drought resiliency. That’s because California started taking action after the last drought. … ” Read more from DWR News here: Through challenges of drought, locally led solutions for groundwater sustainability are advancing
Drought continues and groundwater regulations heat up in California
“2021 was the driest year California has experienced in a century. At the end of the water year, spanning October 1, 2020 to September 30, 2021, the State received only 11.87 inches of precipitation, approximately half of average. This came on the heels of the second driest year on record in 2020. … While GSAs worked to draft and submit their GSPs, litigation followed as stakeholders challenged the approaches to basin management. Among the 42 GSPs that have been submitted to DWR, at least four are being litigated in California Superior Courts. So far, these lawsuits are not concentrated in a particular region of the State, with challenges in the Central Valley, Central Coast, and eastern desert regions. A common theme raised in each of the complaints is the allegation that the various GSAs violated SGMA by adopting GSPs that changed the rights and priorities of water rights holders within the basin areas. … ” Read the full post at Allen Matkins here: Drought continues and groundwater regulations heat up in California
California has begun managing groundwater under a new law. Experts aren’t sure it’s working
“In the rural county of Madera in California’s San Joaquin Valley, some farmworkers have learned to ration their water on a two-week schedule. Water gets hauled in by trucks and delivered to homes that have installed temporary tanks to store it in their backyards. Those cisterns usually hold up to 2,500 gallons, enough water to last a family two weeks, if they’re careful. The average California household uses double that in the same amount of time. “We’ve been using too much groundwater in the Central Valley that we really do not have, and it’s taking water from our communities now and from future generations,” said Erick Orellana, a policy advocate for the nonprofit Community Water Center. ... ” Read more from Inside Climate News here: California has begun managing groundwater under a new law. Experts aren’t sure it’s working
Water manager urges patience with SGMA
“Aaron Fukuda is frustrated with discussions in Sacramento over reforming water rights. Fukuda, who manages the Tulare Irrigation District and leads a local groundwater sustainability agency, explained his concerns to the State Board of Food and Agriculture during a meeting this week on the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act. He was specifically pushing back on a new white paper from a group of law scholars that encourages the Legislature to revise the state’s water laws to better account for drought and climate change. Fukuda argued that “opening up water rights” for fully appropriated streams would divert critical resources from sustainability projects to instead cover court fees, and “that, in my mind, is a bad place to be.” ... ” Read more from Agri-Pulse here: Water manager urges patience with SGMA
What every Californian should know about groundwater
“In honor of World Water Day—its theme is “Groundwater—making the invisible visible”—we asked a handful of PPIC Water Policy Center senior staff to discuss groundwater and drought in California. What should every Californian know about groundwater? Jeff Mount: Groundwater is our drought reserve, but we tend to treat it like a regular part of our water supply. It’s usually 30% of our water supply, but during drought it’s more than 60%. The problem is that we don’t reserve enough for droughts and use too much during wetter periods. Andrew Ayres: For a long time we treated groundwater like a property right, but it was a pretty lousy property right. A property right not only entitles you to access it but also excludes others from accessing it. That’s not what groundwater rights do in California. That is the source of many, if not all, of our groundwater problems. … ” Continue reading at the PPIC here: What every Californian should know about groundwater
NApa-Sonoma: State groundwater management may require metered wells, additional fees
“The lengthy, multifaceted work of the Sonoma Valley Groundwater Sustainability Agency reached a benchmark in December 2021 when its board approved a Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP) and sent it off to the state for review and potential approval. The plan, including references and appendices, came in at a hefty 1,285 pages, though attentive readers can get the gist in the 28-page executive summary. … Probably the most notable part of the plan is the section dealing with potential groundwater user fees and permits — necessary steps to assure the plan is viable and effective. … ” Read more from the Kenwood Press here: State groundwater management may require metered wells, additional fees
Westlands growers fear groundwater power grab by district general manager
“Divisions are deepening within the giant Westlands Water District as some growers fear the district’s longtime, controversial general manager is amassing too much power. In mid-February, district staff proposed new groundwater rules that would give General Manager Tom Birmingham almost total control over how groundwater is accounted for and to which grower accounts it would be credited, according to district growers. It was a move that shocked some and prompted a group of growers to send letters to the district opposing the rules and demanding fair governance. They say giving that much power to one staff person creates a situation ripe for favoritism and abuse. … ” Read more from Westlands Water District here: Westlands growers fear groundwater power grab by district general manager
Groundwater Management and Drought: An Interview with the San Joaquin Valley Partnership
The Department of Water Resources (DWR) is committed to working collaboratively with partners to provide data and tools and proactively address drought impacts on drinking water wells, as documented in the state’s Groundwater Management and Drinking Water Well Principles and Strategies framework. DWR has maintained a dry well reporting system since the last drought period from 2012-2016 in which several thousand dry well reports were received. DWR is assisting local counties and groundwater managers and working with partner organizations to prepare for and respond to drought-related water shortages. DWR Sustainable Groundwater Management Office representatives, Steven Springhorn and Melissa Sparks-Kranz, recently interviewed three women in leadership positions, advancing drought-related actions in the San Joaquin Valley: Laura Ramos, Associate Director for Research and Development at the California Water Institute, Lacey McBride, Water Resources Manager for Merced County and Tami McVay, Program Director-Partner Services at Self-Help Enterprises. … ” Continue reading at DWR News here: Groundwater Management and Drought: An Interview with the San Joaquin Valley Partnership
Tulare to drill new well with state funds
“Exeter and Tooleville are the latest communities to go through a state-mandated water consolidation, but not the first in Tulare County. In 2016, the state issued its first ever mandatory water consolidation between the city of Tulare and Matheny Tract, a rural community just west of the city limits. Now, six years later, Tulare is about to take the final step of the consolidation, building a new well with state money. Tulare Public Works Director Trisha Whitfield said the State Water Board notified the city on March 11 it has been approved for $4.28 million from the state’s Drinking Water State Revolving Fund Program to build Well 4-3, which will generate 1,000 gallons per minute for the city’s water customers, including about 1,500 people living in Matheny Tract. … ” Read more from the Foothills Sun-Gazette here: Tulare to drill new well with state funds
Tulare County to use mining pit to recharge aquifer with flood water
“… Working to reduce the long-term risks of natural disasters, the California Governor’s Office of Emergency of Services (Cal OES) announced last month it is applying for $250 million in federal funding for proactive projects preparing communities for emergencies instead of reacting to them. One project in Tulare County plans to reuse an excavated mining pit to recharge groundwater levels with floodwater, which would provide more water for irrigating crops and drinking water while also serving as a habitat for migratory birds. According to Cal OES, the project is requesting $16.27 million in federal funding for the nearly $23 million project. … ” Read more from the Foothills Sun-Gazette here: Tulare County to use mining pit to recharge aquifer with flood water
Using Sentinel-1 and GRACE satellite data to monitor the hydrological variations within the Tulare Basin, California
“Subsidence induced by groundwater depletion is a grave problem in many regions around the world, leading to a permanent loss of groundwater storage within an aquifer and even producing structural damage at the Earth’s surface. California’s Tulare Basin is no exception, experiencing about a meter of subsidence between 2015 and 2020. However, understanding the relationship between changes in groundwater volumes and ground deformation has proven difficult. We employ surface displacement measurements from Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) and gravimetric estimates of terrestrial water storage from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellite pair to characterize the hydrological dynamics within the Tulare basin. … ” Read more from Nature here: Using Sentinel-1 and GRACE satellite data to monitor the hydrological variations within the Tulare Basin, California
Santa Ynez Groundwater Basin users could soon see new water-use restrictions
“The Santa Ynez River Valley Groundwater Basin runs from Lake Cachuma off Highway 154 out to the ocean near Lompoc. It’s used for urban water supply in Northern Santa Barbara County and in agriculture for things like wine grapes and vegetables. Now, water users in the area may be required to comply with sustainable tactics to help manage the basin after years of consistent drought and overuse. “Many parts of the basin are nearing historical lows,” said Santa Barbara County Water Agency Manager Matt Young. … ” Read more from the Santa Ynez Valley News here: Santa Ynez Groundwater Basin users could soon see new water-use restrictions
Santa Ynez Basin Groundwater Sustainability Plans approved
“Water conservation along the Santa Ynez River took a significant step in January 2022 when three agencies unanimously approved groundwater sustainability plans (GSPs). These plans will be the basis for groundwater management in the area through a 20-year implementation period. … Public agencies in the Santa Ynez Basin formed three GSAs (Eastern, Western, and Central) that cover the area from Lake Cachuma to the Pacific Ocean. These GSAs have been working since 2015 to prepare GSPs that describe the area’s geology, how much water is in the basin, how it moves through the basin, and how it is used. The GSPs also identify projects and management actions the GSAs will undertake to ensure the basin is managed sustainably. … ” Read more from the Santa Barbara Independent here: Santa Ynez Basin Groundwater Sustainability Plans approved
Ridgecrest: Indian Wells Valley water pumping 2.7 times higher than natural recharge
“The annual water report for 2021 was presented on Wednesday at the Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority regular board meeting. In short, water levels are declining. That much was already known, but questions revolved around gaps in the data. “We cannot be expected to control the overdraft until we understand the overdraft,” said Stan Rajtora, IWVGA board member representing the IWV Water District. The presentation was given by Stetson Engineers, the company performing the role of Water Resources Manager for IWVGA. … ” Read more from the Ridgecrest Independent here: Indian Wells Valley water pumping 2.7 times higher than natural recharge
Ridgecrest: Hard questions, fewer answers at public workshop on adjudication
“Members of the public turned up and asked hard questions at the Indian Wells Valley Water District’s adjudication workshop Wednesday night at city hall. Not all of them were answered. Questions ranged from potential impacts on small pumpers (unknown) to whether the adjudication outcome can be challenged after the fact (to some extent apparently). Questioners were polite and articulate, but frequently not reassured by the answers they heard. “I hope the judge doesn’t just say let’s cut that baby in half and give you each a half,” Skip Gorman said after asking about whether the determination can be questioned after the fact. … ” Read more from the Ridgecrest Independent here: Hard questions, fewer answers at public workshop on adjudication
Rosamond Community Services District halts efforts to use eminent domain
“The Rosamond Community Services District has halted its efforts to use eminent domain procedures to obtain water rights from agricultural land owned by the Calandri family on Rosamond’s west side. In November, the District Board of Directors unanimously approved a Resolution of Necessity, which declared it in the public interest to acquire the property for the water rights. On Wednesday, the Board rescinded that resolution, as the District had acquired other permanent water rights that meet a great deal of its water needs and temporary water rights that will provide a cushion while the effort continues to obtain permanent water rights, General Manager Steve Perez said. … ” Read more from the Antelope Valley Press here: Rosamond Community Services District halts efforts to use eminent domain