The Department of Water Resources on Thursday cast decisions on another round of groundwater sustainability plans, approving 11 basins that are not critically overdrafted and deeming another six inadequate.
The plans span several agricultural regions of the state, but split farmers in the Sacramento Valley. The state gave the green light to Sutter and Yolo basins but not to Antelope, Colusa, Corning, Los Molinos or Red Bluff. Another northern California basin, Big Valley in Lassen County, was also on the inadequate list. DWR reasoned the plans lacked a clear strategy for eliminating overdraft while managing groundwater levels and land subsidence.
Paul Gosselin, DWR deputy director of SGMA, assured the public that the department is committed to supporting the local agencies in working toward the shared goal of protecting the state’s groundwater infrastructure.
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During the annual summit for the Water Education Foundation this week, Gosselin explained that “by and large, most basins—except for a handful—are on the right track.” But the difficult part of the journey is still ahead, as the agencies begin implementing the plans. He expected it to be exciting but stormy, especially with a “tsunami” of farmland to go fallow as a result of the seismic impact of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act.
