A new measure aims to offer technical assistance grants to help landowners reduce water usage under the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA). It targets critically overdrafted basins in the San Joaquin Valley and prioritizes socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers. The bill would allocate up to $300,000 for each project.
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The bill’s author, Asm. Carlos Villapudua of Stockton, recognizes the “staggering effect” SGMA will have on the valley, with as many as a million acres of productive farmland to be fallowed.
