Sustainable Groundwater Management

In September of 2014, the California Legislature enacted comprehensive legislation aimed at strengthening local control and management of groundwater basins throughout the state. Known as the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act of 2014, the legislation provides a framework for sustainable management of groundwater supplies by local authorities, with a limited role for state intervention when necessary to protect the resource.

The Sustainable Groundwater Management Act of 2014 (“SGMA”) requires that all groundwater basins in California be managed sustainably. (Water Code §§ 10720.1(a).) SGMA defines “sustainable groundwater management” as the “management and use of groundwater in a manner that can be maintained during the planning and implementation horizon without causing undesirable results.” (Water Code §§ 10721(v).)

SGMA uses the term “sustainability goal,” defined as the “implementation of measures targeted to ensure that the applicable basin is operated within its sustainable yield.” (Water Code § 10721(u).) A basin’s “sustainable yield” is calculated as “the maximum quantity of water . . . that can be withdrawn annually from a groundwater supply without causing an undesirable result.” (Water Code § 10721(w).) SGMA defines “undesirable result” as any of the following effects:

• Chronic lowering of groundwater levels (not including overdraft during a drought, if a basin is otherwise managed properly);
• Significant and unreasonable reductions in groundwater storage;
• Significant and unreasonable seawater intrusion;
• Significant and unreasonable degradation of water quality;
• Significant and unreasonable land subsidence; and
• Surface water depletions that have significant and unreasonable adverse impacts on beneficial uses. (Water Code § 10721(x).)