Union of Concerned Scientists | September 1st, 2015
Summary
Groundwater supplies between 30 and 50 percent of California’s water supply, depending on precipitation, and represents a storage reservoir that is over three times gre
Groundwater supplies between 30 and 50 percent of California’s water supply, depending on precipitation, and represents a storage reservoir that is over three times greater than available surface water storage. The California Water Action Plan (CNRA, CDFA, and CEPA 2014) identifies groundwater as “a critical bu?er to the impacts of prolonged dry periods and climate change on our water system.” Many groundwater basins have historically experienced significant chronic overdraft and related negative impacts. California’s ongoing drought helped spur the state to enact legislation to strengthen local control and management of groundwater basins. Governor Jerry Brown signed the threebill package (AB 1739, SB 1168, SB 1319), known as the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), into law on September 16, 2014. SGMA represents California’s attempt to regulate groundwater comprehensively for the first time in the state’s history. SGMA, which went into e?ect on January 1, 2015, lays out a process and a timeline for local agencies to achieve sustainable management of groundwater basins (see Box 1). It also provides tools, authorities, and deadlines meant to lead to achievement of the legislation’s purpose. For local agencies involved in implementation, the requirements are significant and are expected to take many years to accomplish. While setting measurable objectives is a new requirement, it is by no means a new concept in natural resource management. This report summarizes the theory and practice of setting measurable objectives for groundwater management, using examples from California and elsewhere. The goal is to begin to develop a shared knowledge base and to identify key features of e?ective measurable objectives.