State protection of groundwater proceeds with third subbasin hearing
May 6, 2024
SACRAMENTO – To ensure the long-term viability of groundwater supplies in portions
of Tulare and Kings counties, the State Water Resources Control Board today released
a public notice for a Nov. 5, 2024, hearing to determine if the Kaweah Groundwater
Subbasin should be placed on probationary status under the landmark Sustainable
Groundwater Management Act (SGMA).
This is the third probationary notice the State Water Board has issued to groundwater
basins since last October as it continues to carry out its state intervention
responsibilities under SGMA. The previous notices were issued to the Tulare Lake and
Tule basins, respectively. At the Kaweah basin hearing, the board will decide if a
probationary designation is warranted after a robust public input process.
Such a designation could, after at least one year, lead to temporary state oversight of
the basin’s groundwater supplies until its sustainability plan is improved, as required
under SGMA. Alternatively, groundwater sustainability agencies (GSAs) could update
their groundwater sustainability plans (GSPs) to address deficiencies, exit state
intervention and be returned to oversight by the California Department of Water
Resources (DWR). This could occur before or after any probationary designation.
If the basin is designated as probationary, board staff collect groundwater extraction
information and work with GSAs to improve GSPs so that intervention is no longer
needed.
To help inform the hearing, the board also released a draft staff report that describes
the basin’s conditions and makes recommendations for addressing key deficiencies in
the Kaweah subbasin groundwater sustainability plan that continue to negatively impact
infrastructure and communities.
“With this third notice, we are establishing a consistent pace for the intervention process
while still ensuring space for thoughtful deliberation,” said Eric Oppenheimer, the
board’s executive director. “We will continue to work closely with groundwater
sustainability agencies to improve their plans so they can exit state intervention, while
also taking necessary steps to protect supplies.”
In 2023, DWR determined that the GSAs for six basins, including the Kaweah subbasin,
had inadequate plans for meeting SGMA’s requirement of balanced levels of
groundwater pumping and recharge by 2040. DWR deemed the GSP for the Kaweah
subbasin inadequate in several crucial categories, including the potential for continued
water level declines that could cause wells to go dry, along with the threat of continued
land subsidence, a phenomenon in which chronic overpumping leaves underground
aquifers and the land above them susceptible to collapse.
An analysis completed with DWR indicates that, based on past water level trends,
approximately 872 domestic wells, nearly 1,545 domestic wells and 53 public supply
wells could go dry during drought at thresholds proposed by the 2022 GSP.
Release of the draft report begins a 60-day comment period for the board to gather
input from stakeholders and others and finalize the document prior to the November
hearing at the CalEPA Building in downtown Sacramento. Public input at the hearing is
also welcome before the board makes a decision.
The public can participate in person or remotely, or watch online.
The State Water Board’s mission is to preserve, enhance and restore the quality of
California’s water resources and drinking water for the protection of the environment,
public health and all beneficial uses, and to ensure proper resource allocation and
efficient use for present and future generations.