Protecting Disadvantaged Well Users Under the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act
Summary
The Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) was passed in 2014 to help achieve sustainable water levels in groundwater basins across the state of California. This act called for the creation of local Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSAs) who are responsible for drafting Groundwater Sustainability Plans (GSPs) that outline how their basins will be brought in to balance through careful management actions. These plans are meant to benefit all groundwater users within the basin, yet many of the proposed plans lack considerations or protections for front-line, disadvantaged communities (DACs) that often rely on shallow, domestic wells for drinking water. These shallow wells are particularly vulnerable to running dry during drought years which have become increasingly common and are expected to continue in California. This brief seeks to address this inequity by first proposing that specific language be included within SGMA to address concerns for DACs and by offering mitigation strategies to address water availability issues in the meantime.
Authorship
This policy brief was prepared by Shaela Noble (smnoble@ucdavis.edu).