Cooperation, not opposition, is key to solving California’s groundwater management

Once again, we find ourselves in a drought and running out of water.

For the second time in the past decade, we are enduring another frustrating and uncertain period, asking how we will sustain the citizens of California as well as the agriculture that feeds the world.

Drought is not new to California and we have engineered one of the most comprehensive and complex systems on the planet to water our crops and people. What has changed is that the investments our grandparents made that allowed our state to bloom are now deteriorating, our water storage is inadequate, and we are woefully behind in managing the vast, but declining aquifer that runs throughout our state.

Administering an aquifer and determining who can pump groundwater takes time, resources, and community input. Fortunately, since passage of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) in 2014, Californians have worked collaboratively to alter the paradigm and modernize the system allocating this precious resource.

Groundwater is vital, especially during droughts when the demand for groundwater rises as access to surface water declines. However, until 2014, groundwater pumping was unregulated, and bringing regulation to this previously unregulated resource creates complex challenges that require unique partnerships and innovative solutions.

Some of the highest reliance on groundwater in the state occurs in the San Joaquin Valley. Under SGMA, many of the groundwater basins in the Valley are classified as high or medium priority for groundwater sustainability management by the California Department of Water Resources.

By January 2022, the local Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA) for each of these basins must submit a plan for achieving sustainable groundwater management within a 20-year period. These plans have the potential for significant impact on our groundwater usage.

Across California groundwater accounts for 40% to 60% of the state’s water supply, especially in dry years or periods of drought. Several rural communities, including many classified as disadvantaged communities, are entirely dependent on groundwater as the only source for drinking water and the backbone for agricultural operations that benefit far beyond their jurisdiction.

For this reason, it is important that water users in the San Joaquin Valley and beyond work together on community-driven solutions that fit our unique landscapes. Difficult and at times uncomfortable conversations should not be a deterrent to progress; especially when faced with the risky consequences of continuing the status quo. It is through the collaboration of local agencies, community-based organizations, businesses, community representatives and farmers that we can develop a path forward.

While it is often expedient for political leaders to use a drought to cut through the proverbial Gordian knot of California water policy by mandate, it is also short-sighted and against the community building and future visioning process represented by SGMA. There are no shortcuts to doing a job right. There is just the hard and often frustrating work of building a collective future for our state’s groundwater resources.

We call on all community members and agencies to be a part of the process and the solution. Stay informed about groundwater management through your local GSA and be engaged in the plan development and implementation process.

The impact of these efforts will affect us and our dependents far into the future. It is therefore imperative that we work within the time frame established in SGMA to craft solutions that address our needs, are realistic for our communities, and reflect our values.

Find information regarding your local GSA and how you can get involved at https://sgma.water.ca.gov/portal/#intro.