SGMA Basics

information about the physical setting, characteristics, and current conditions of the basin as described by the Agency in the hydrogeological conceptual model, the groundwater conditions, and the water budget

practice, or combination of practices, that are designed to achieve sustainable groundwater management and have been determined to be technologically and economically effective, practicable, and based on best available science

a legal agreement adopted between two or more groundwater sustainability agencies that provides the basis for coordinating multiple agencies or GSP’s within a basin

a well owner who extracts two acre-feet or less per year from a parcel for domestic purposes

A roadmap that specifies how the GSA will reach subbasin-wide sustainability. The Plan requires, among additional elements, a description of the Plan area, a hydrogeologic conceptual model, sustainability goals and objectives, a monitoring network, and projects and management actions to achieve the sustainability goal. In high- to medium-priority with critical overdraft conditions, GSP’s must be submitted to the CA DWR by January 2020.

a model that utilizes current and historical data to forecast future groundwater conditions

If deemed “probationary” due to failure to develop an adequate GSP, or failure to implement the GSP successfully, the State Board will allow the local GSA’s time to fix the issue that led to probation. If the GSA’s are unable to fix the issues, an interim plan will be implemented by the State. The interim plan will contain corrective actions, a timeline to reach sustainability, and a monitoring plan to ensure corrective actions are working. This kind of plan would include a fee structure and blunt corrective actions such as reduced pumping.

refers to specific, quantifiable goals for the maintenance or improvement of specified groundwater conditions that have been included in an adopted Plan to achieve the sustainability goal for the basin

a numeric value for each sustainability indicator used to define undesirable results

if GSA’s are unable to develop an adequate GSP, or fail to implement the GSP successfully, the Board may designate the entire basin probationary. Anyone who extracts groundwater from a probationary basin must file an extraction report with the State Water Board. The State Board may require use of meters to measure extractions and reporting of additional information.

existence and implementation of one or more GSP’s that achieve sustainable groundwater management by identifying and causing the implementation of measures targeted to ensure operation within sustainable yield

any of the effects caused by groundwater conditions occurring throughout the basin that, when significant and unreasonable, cause undesirable results

maximum quantity of water, calculated over a base period representative of long-term conditions in the basin and including any temporary surplus, that can be withdrawn annually from a groundwater supply without causing an undesirable result

defined by SGMA as management and use of groundwater in a manner that can be maintained during the planning and implementation horizon without causing undesirable results

chronic lowering of groundwater levels and supply, significant and unreasonable reduction of groundwater storage, significant and unreasonable seawater intrusion, significant and unreasonable degraded water quality, significant and unreasonable land subsidence, depletion of interconnected surface water that have adverse impacts on beneficial uses of surface water

part of a subbasin not within the management area of a GSA before July 1,2017. There are 7 GSA’s that cover the entire geography of the Kings subbasin, thus there are no areas of the subbasin considered an unmanaged area.