Groundwater Sustainability Plan revisions submitted to the State

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.