The Department of Water Resources (DWR) recently released a list and maps of the high and medium groundwater basins in the state. It is important to note that counties and groundwater management agencies in unmonitored basins may be ineligible for water grants and loans administered by the State.
A map showing unmonitored high and medium priority groundwater basins, as well as a list identifying the fully and partially unmonitored high and medium priority groundwater basins can be accessed here.
In 2009, the State Legislature passed SBX7-6, which mandates a statewide groundwater elevation monitoring program to track seasonal and long-term trends in groundwater elevations in California's groundwater basins. SBX7-6 provides that:
- Local parties may assume responsibility for monitoring and reporting groundwater elevations;
- DWR work cooperatively with local monitoring entities to achieve monitoring programs that demonstrate seasonal and long-term trends in groundwater elevations;
- DWR accept and review prospective monitoring entity submittals, then determine the designated monitoring entity, notify the monitoring entity and make that information available to the public;
- DWR perform groundwater elevation monitoring in basins where no local party has agreed to perform the monitoring functions; and
- If local parties (for example, counties) do not volunteer to perform the groundwater monitoring functions and DWR assumes those functions, then those parties become ineligible for water grants or loans from the state.
For additional information, please contact RCRC Legislative Analyst Nick Konovaloff at (916) 447-4806 or nkonovaloff@rcrcnet.org.