Author: Ashley Goldsmith

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – On April 21, 2023, the McMullin Area Groundwater Sustainability Agency (MAGSA) was awarded a $2.8 million grant through the Bureau of Reclamation’s WaterSMART Program to help fund the purchase and installation of electromagnetic flow meters with telemetry for 925 groundwater wells, along with six weather stations in the region.

“You can’t accurately manage what you don’t measure,” says MAGSA’s General Manager, Matt Hurley. “Real-time groundwater data will assist growers in their on-farm water management decisions and allow MAGSA to more effectively achieve groundwater sustainability by 2040.”

The installation of flow meters and telemetry will drastically improve water management within MAGSA and is expected to result in annual water savings of 20,508 acre-feet as a result of reduced pumping. 

MAGSA’s Precision Metering with Real-Time Remote Telemetry project was awarded alongside 83 others in 15 western states for a total of $140 million in water conservation and efficiency projects. 

Earning the grant award represents MAGSA’s determined pursuit to implement the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) with a landowner-first approach, minimizing the out-of-pocket costs associated with implementing on-farm tools for groundwater management.

The grant funding will be used to implement MAGSA’s meter and telemetry incentive program for growers who registered their wells with the agency. MAGSA growers will receive further details on the incentive program details in coming months.

Groundwater sustainability is only possible through collaboration with landowners, regional partners, and the state. MAGSA is committed to pursuing grant funding and other creative opportunities to support landowners in working toward a sustainable future for generations to come.