Kaweah Subbasin Staff Assessment

California State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) | October 14th, 2025

The Kaweah Subbasin is managed by three GSAs: East Kaweah GSA, Greater Kaweah GSA, and Mid-Kaweah GSA (collectively, the Kaweah GSAs or GSAs). Each GSA wrote their own GS

The Kaweah Subbasin is managed by three GSAs: East Kaweah GSA, Greater Kaweah GSA, and Mid-Kaweah GSA (collectively, the Kaweah GSAs or GSAs). Each GSA wrote their own GSP, East Kaweah GSP (EKGSP), Greater Kaweah GSP (GKGSP), and Mid-Kaweah GSP (MKGSP). The three GSPs are tied together by a coordination agreement. The primary use of groundwater within the subbasin is irrigated agriculture; in 2020, irrigated agriculture used more than 94 percent of the groundwater in the subbasin (2024 Coordination Agreement, Appendix 1, p. 27). The subbasin is critically overdrafted, which means that groundwater is pumped out of the subbasin faster than it is recharged by precipitation and other sources. On average, the amount pumped from the subbasin in a year is 104,000 acre-feet greater than the amount recharged (2024 GKGSP p. 1-1). Overdraft can cause the land surface to sink, potentially damaging infrastructure and reducing aquifer storage. In addition, overdraft threatens groundwater levels and drinking water quality and could have disparate impacts on communities that rely on shallower groundwater levels. Due to historic and political factors, many of these are economically disadvantaged and communities of color. As of 2022, the subbasin has an estimated population of 296,632 people with most of the population being Hispanic or Latino (60.6%) followed by white (31%) (American Community Survey, 2022). The average annual household income within the subbasin in 2022 is $71,000, which is significantly less than the state average of $91,551 (ibid.).

Kern County Subbasin Groundwater Sustainability Plan 2025

Kern County Subbasin Groundwater Sustainability Agency (KCSGSA) | August 29th, 2025

The Kern Subbasin (Kern Subbasin) Amended Groundwater Sustainability Plan (2025 Plan)  presents the overview of each of the seven GSPs that together constitute the 2025

The Kern Subbasin (Kern Subbasin) Amended Groundwater Sustainability Plan (2025 Plan)  presents the overview of each of the seven GSPs that together constitute the 2025 Plan, including which GSAs are covered by each GSP and whether the GSP includes supplemental “blue pages” specific to the portion of the Kern Subbasin that the GSA manages consists of seven closely coordinated (and nearly identical) Groundwater Sustainability Plans (GSPs) and the Kern Subbasin Coordination Agreement. The 2025 Plan represents a critical milestone in the Kern Subbasin and all 20 Kern Subbasin Groundwater Sustainability Agencies’ (GSAs) ongoing commitment to achieving long-term groundwater sustainability under California’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA). Developed collaboratively by all 20 GSAs, the 2025 Plan responds directly to regulatory feedback from the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) and the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB), incorporating the latest data, technical refinements, and input from interested parties. 

Kern County Subbasin Probationary Hearing Final Staff Report

California State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) | January 21st, 2025

The State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board or Board) staff developed the Probationary Hearing Final Staff Report (Final Staff Report) for the Kern County

The State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board or Board) staff developed the Probationary Hearing Final Staff Report (Final Staff Report) for the Kern County Subbasin (subbasin) to help inform the Board’s decision pursuant to the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA or Act) as to whether to designate the Kern County Subbasin a probationary basin, as defined in the Act.   Companion information and documents: Kern County Subbasin State Water Resources Control Board Update Page Final Staff Report: Executive Summary Appendix A: Summary Table of Proposed Deficiencies and Potential Actions Appendix C: Public Process, Tribal Consultation, and Engagement; Draft Staff Report Comments Appendix D: State Water Board Review of the 2020 Groundwater Sustainability Plans and DWR Incomplete Determination

Kern County Subbasin Staff Review of 2025 Draft of Groundwater Sustainability Plans

California State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) | September 5th, 2025

The Kern County Subbasin (subbasin or basin) is a critically overdrafted subbasin in the southern portion of the San Joaquin Valley with an area of about 1.78 million acr

The Kern County Subbasin (subbasin or basin) is a critically overdrafted subbasin in the southern portion of the San Joaquin Valley with an area of about 1.78 million acres. The subbasin is currently managed by 20 GSAs. DWR determined the subbasin’s 2022 GSPs were inadequate and referred the subbasin to the State Water Board in March 2023, which initiated the state intervention process. The subbasin GSAs submitted their revised, adopted GSPs to the Board in December 2024, and Board staff determined that these updated GSPs did not resolve all the deficiencies identified by staff in the previous GSPs. On February 20, 2025, the State Water Board held a hearing to determine whether to designate the subbasin as probationary. In recognition of the substantial progress the subbasin made, the Board continued the hearing to September 17, 2025, giving the GSAs additional time to resolve the remaining deficiencies and directing the GSAs to submit revised draft GSPs to the Board by June 20, 2025 for review. On June 20, 2025, the GSAs submitted seven amended draft GSPs to the Board (2025 Draft GSPs). Board staff reviewed the 2025 Draft GSPs and conclude that the GSAs substantially, though not completely, address the deficiencies identified in the previous GSPs. Staff recommends returning the subbasin to DWR for review of the updated GSPs pursuant to Water Code section 10733.4 if the GSAs resolve three of the remaining issues: (1) providing an adequate mitigation program for drinking water wells impacted by any constituent for which a minimum threshold is established in the GSPs, including 1,2,3-TCP, where groundwater management activities cause concentrations to exceed those minimum thresholds; (2) providing an adequate mitigation program for state small water system wells (or domestic wells with more than four service connections) impacted by groundwater management activities; and (3) eliminating the Kern Non-Districted Land Authority GSA Joint Exercise of Powers Agreement May 2026 sunset provision, which would result in unmanaged areas of the subbasin that are a potential basis for state intervention.

Kern Groundwater Authority Groundwater Sustainability Plan

Kern Groundwater Authority | January 30th, 2020

Kern Groundwater Authority Groundwater Sustainability Plan (Amended)

Kern Groundwater Authority | July 27th, 2022

The Kern Groundwater Authority (KGA) Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA) covers approximately 1.2 million acres of the Kern County Subbasin’s (Subbasin) approximate

The Kern Groundwater Authority (KGA) Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA) covers approximately 1.2 million acres of the Kern County Subbasin’s (Subbasin) approximate 1.8 million acres, as defined by the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) Bulletin 118 (see Figure E-1). DWR has identified the Kern Subbasin as a “critically overdrafted basin.” The Kern Groundwater Authority includes 12 member entities made up of water districts/agencies, groundwater banking projects, and organized nondistricted lands. The 12 member entities also constitute the KGA Board, with one representative from each member entity. Its boundary stretches along the northwest, northeast, and southern parts of the Subbasin. The KGA was formed for the purpose of:  Coordinating groundwater management programs and activities;  Identifying and addressing issues pertaining to sustainable groundwater management;  Establishing a framework for local groundwater management; and  Coordinating with other GSAs in the Subbasin Due to size, only a portion of this GSP has been uploaded. For the full file, follow "get document" link to download it at DWR

Kern River Groundwater Sustainability Agency Groundwater Sustainability Plan

Kern River Groundwater Sustainability Agency (KRGSA) | December 5th, 2019

Kings River East GSA Groundwater Sustainability Plan

Kings River East Groundwater Sustainability Agency (KREGSA) | December 13th, 2019

Kings River East GSA Groundwater Sustainability Plan (Revised)

Kings River East Groundwater Sustainability Agency (KREGSA) | July 5th, 2022

Klamath Basin Settlement Agreements

Congressional Research Service (CRS) | October 21st, 2015

The Klamath River Basin on the California-Oregon border is a focal point for local and national discussions on water allocation and species protection. Previously, water

The Klamath River Basin on the California-Oregon border is a focal point for local and national discussions on water allocation and species protection. Previously, water and species management issues have exacerbated competition and generated conflict among several interests—farmers; Indian tribes; commercial and sport fishermen; federal water project and wildlife refuge managers; environmental groups; hydropower facility operators; and state, local, and tribal governments. Drought conditions and a call for water by senior water rights holders in 2013 have again brought these issues to the forefront. In 2010, the Secretary of the Interior and the governors of Oregon and California, along with multiple interest groups, announced the results of a multiyear negotiation process to resolve long-standing issues in the basin: two interrelated agreements, supported by the federal government and signed by the two states and numerous other parties. These agreements, known as the Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement (KBRA) and the Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement (KHSA), together aim to provide for water deliveries to irrigators and wildlife refuges, fish habitat restoration, and numerous other related actions. Generally, the KBRA provides for actions intended to restore Klamath fisheries and for assurances for water deliveries to wildlife refuges and federal project irrigators under certain circumstances, among other things. The KHSA lays out a process that could lead to the removal of four privately owned dams on the Klamath River. This dam removal would be one of the largest and most complex projects of its kind ever undertaken. Some parts of the Klamath agreements are being carried out under existing authorities. Studies to inform a determination on dam removal under the KHSA by the Secretary of the Interior are complete, and some restoration actions have been initiated. However, congressional authorization is required for the most significant components of the agreements to be implemented. The KBRA and KHSA did not address all outstanding issues in the basin. A water rights adjudication by the state of Oregon (in progress since the 1970s) is ongoing. In 2013, the adjudication reaffirmed “time immemorial” tribal water rights in the upper part of the Klamath Basin, confirming that tribal water rights are senior to those of other water rights holders. This resulted in a “call” on water rights (i.e., notice by senior water rights holders that their demands exceed available flows), and led to reductions to water supplies for some junior users during the low water year of 2013. To resolve these issues and prevent such a scenario from occurring again, a separate settlement agreement (the Upper Klamath Basin Settlement Agreement) was negotiated by stakeholders and finalized in April 2014. To be implemented, the agreement would need to be authorized along with the KBRA and KHSA. The KBRA and KHSA were originally set to expire in 2012 if no authorizing legislation was enacted, but they have since been extended (most recently through 2015). Parties may also withdraw individually from the agreements, and several parties initiated this process of withdrawal. In the 114th Congress, S. 133 would authorize the Klamath agreements, including a suite of new federal actions that have received support from disparate parties and are required for the agreements to be implemented. Previous legislation in the 113th Congress (S. 2379) was ordered to be reported out of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources on November 13, 2014.