The California Department of Water Resources (DWR) is expected to provide comments on the updated Kings Subbasin Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP), Annual Report, and Periodic Review by the beginning of 2026. DWR has also released draft guidance on subsidence, which will inform ongoing management strategies across the Subbasin.
(more…)At the October 2 meeting, the McMullin Area Groundwater Sustainability Agency (MAGSA) Board approved releasing the draft revised Groundwater Sustainability Plan for public comment. This revised GSP includes recommended revisions received from the Department of Water Resources focused on three key areas:
The Kings Subbasin GSAs, including MAGSA, have coordinated efforts to address these areas and strengthen the GSP.
The document linked below is a redline version of the GSP, so stakeholders can note the revisions made to the GSP. We encourage the public to review the draft revised GSP and provide input. Please review the draft revised GSP and submit comments through the link below by November 1, 2024.
After a public comment period, the McMullin Area Groundwater Sustainability Agency (MAGSA) Board of Directors adopted the Domestic Well Mitigation Rules and Regulations.
These Implementing Rules & Regulations for the Domestic Well Mitigation Policy describes how MAGSA will meet the needs of landowners in the GSA whose domestic wells go dry or fall within ten feet of going dry due to lowering groundwater levels within the Kings Subbasin. The document outlines the eligibility criteria for domestic well owners to receive assistance, the application process, and the different mitigation measures MAGSA may provide.
Why is MAGSA adopting a Domestic Well Mitigation plan? A Domestic Well Mitigation Plan was one of the requirements in the conditional approval of the Kings Subbasin Groundwater Sustainability Plans by the California Department of Water Resources (DWR). MAGSA and the other six Kings Subbasin GSAs are responsible for mitigating the impact of domestic wells going dry within their boundaries due to declining groundwater levels. As a result, Kings Subbasin GSAs have coordinated to develop domestic well mitigation strategies and each GSA is developing a program based on their area’s unique needs.
2023 was a record water year for the Kings Subbasin! Annual Report data reflects the positive impact of the wet year on the basin’s groundwater levels after three consecutive years of drought, while also indicating there is more work to be done in pursuit of long-term sustainability.
With more surface water available, groundwater use decreased by 54% compared to the average use in the previous three water years. Groundwater storage increased by 1.28 million acre-feet, partially thanks to the recharge projects throughout the Kings Subbasin.
(more…)In March 2023, the Department of Water Resources (DWR) announced the Groundwater Sustainability Plans (GSPs) for the Kings Subbasin, which includes MAGSA and 6 other GSAs, were recommended for approval. The Kings Subbasin is working diligently with DWR to report on their progress and include any additional corrective actions recommended by DWR in the 2025 GSP periodic update.
(more…)The Department of Water Resources (DWR) announced that the Groundwater Sustainability Plans (GSPs) for the Kings Subbasin, which includes the McMullin Area Groundwater Sustainability Agency (MAGSA) and 6 other GSAs, are recommended for approval.
“I’m glad our region was compliant and worked hard together to get to this point,” says Don Cameron, Chair of MAGSA’s Board of Directors.
“We’re happy to hear about our current success as a Subbasin!” says Matt Hurley, MAGSA’s General Manager. “The Kings Subbasin is a good group of people to work with and I’m confident we will reach sustainability in a timely manner. I’m also confident MAGSA is on the right path to achieve sustainability for our landowners.”
The Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP) is a requirement of the 2014 California law, the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA). A GSP outlines a region’s strategy to achieve groundwater sustainability by 2040. The Kings Subbasin GSAs developed and submitted their initial GSPs to DWR in January 2020. DWR had two years to review the original GSPs. On January 28, 2022, DWR deemed 12 of the 21 critically-over drafted basin GSPs, including the Kings Subbasin GSPs, incomplete.
The Kings Subbasin GSAs, including MAGSA, the North Fork Kings, Kings River East, North Kings, James, South Kings, and Central Kings GSAs, worked diligently and collaboratively to review DWR’s notes on what changes needed to be made. The Kings Subbasin GSAs submitted their revised GSPs in July 2022.
On March 2, 2023, DWR announced which subbasins’ revised GSPs are recommended for approval and which subbasins’ GSPs are inadequate. Subbasins with inadequate GSPs will be transitioning to the State Water Board for State intervention and oversight at this point, with the ultimate goal still being to have all basins return to local management. Subbasins with GSPs recommended for approval adequately refined their sustainable groundwater management criteria and made appropriate corrections to their plans in relation to the analysis of groundwater levels, water quality, and inter-connected surface waters. The Kings Subbasin and other basins with plans recommended for approval will continue to work with DWR to report on their progress and include any additional corrective actions recommended by DWR in the 2025 GSP periodic update.
“This approval is many years in the making and all the hard work has paid off,” says Lynn Groundwater, MAGSA technical consultant and lead author on MAGSA’s GSP. “Now… we can continue to work on filling data gaps and implementing the GSP. Implementation includes design and construction of canals throughout MAGSA to be able to utilize surface water especially in wet years like we are having this year to capture flood water when available.”
MAGSA is deeply thankful for landowner engagement throughout the GSP development and implementation process. Together, we can achieve a sustainable future in our region for generations to come.
Read DWR’s full announcement HERE.
All Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSAs) in the Kings Subbasin, including MAGSA, submitted their revised Groundwater Sustainability Plans to the Department of Water Resources (DWR) by the July 27, 2022 deadline. These plans were posted on the DWR SGMA Portal and are open to public comment through September 30, 2022.
About MAGSA’s Groundwater Sustainability Plan: MAGSA is authorized by the 2014 California law, the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), to develop, adopt, and implement a Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP) for the area it serves. A GSP is a plan outlining a region’s strategy to achieve groundwater sustainability.
The development and implementation of GSPs is a phased, iterative process. It includes key periods where the Plans are reviewed and refined. MAGSA is committed to actively communicating and engaging with stakeholders throughout all phases of this process. Please contact MAGSA with any regional groundwater or GSP-related questions!
After extensive coordination between MAGSA and the six other Groundwater Sustainability Agencies in the Kings Subbasin, the revised Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP) was submitted to the Department of Water Resources (DWR) on the July 27, 2022 submission deadline. The MAGSA Board approved revisions to its GSP at its July 6th Board Meeting.
The revisions came in response to the incomplete determination of the GSP provided by DWR in January 2022. During their 2-year review period, DWR outlined the GSP improvements GSAs needed to make. Their review initiated a 180-day revision period with a July 27 due date. During this time, MAGSA participated in subbasin-wide coordination and communications with DWR to ensure revisions were on the right track.
The revisions include addressing impacts of groundwater level decline and land subsidence impacts to canals and rivers, clarification of minimum thresholds for wells with water quality already over the Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL), and a commitment to gather further data on interconnected surface water and groundwater.
The comments provided by DWR and MAGSA’s submitted revisions are an expected part of the iterative SGMA implementation process. MAGSA believes the revisions submitted to the State seriously considered the concerns of the State while keeping our local stakeholders and landowners in mind.
The Board approved the Implementing Rules and Regulations and Proposed Fee Schedule for groundwater exports at the April 6, 2022 Board Meeting. The rules and regulations serve to manage, protect, and sustain groundwater supply for the benefit of local landowners within MAGSA.
The Rules and Regulations provide specific guidance to landowners on the annual permitting process and fees related to groundwater exports extracted from land within MAGSA to any location outside of the agency boundaries.
To view requirements and export fee schedule, review the adopted Implementing Rules and Regulations on here.
Landowners who own parcels located both within and without MAGSA’s boundaries are exempt from groundwater export fees but still require appropriate export permits and reporting. The Rules and Regulations exclude entirely de minimus use (domestic wells), and production of water stored and extracted from the Aquaterra Groundwater Bank project.
MAGSA’s priority continues to be the success of its landowners. Any policies and rules and regulations will continue to be for the betterment of the area by achieving groundwater sustainability through local control under SGMA.
A draft document including an economic analysis was available on MAGSA’s website for public review and comment on December 13, 2021. MAGSA adopted its Groundwater Export Policy on December 9, 2020, providing a framework for pumping groundwater within MAGSA for use outside of the agency. The recently adopted Rules and Regulations and Fee Schedule provide the specific guidelines for implementing that policy.