What is groundwater, and how is it managed in California?

Until recently groundwater, the water stored within the Earth in the spaces between sand, soils and fractured rock, was not routinely regulated in California. This changed in 2014 when the state Legislature passed the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) as a framework for local and regional agencies to develop and implement sustainable groundwater management plans. The Jan. 31 deadline is fast-approaching for groundwater managers in California’s critically overdrafted basins to submit long-term plans to the state for review.

So what does SGMA mean for water managers and users across the state in the long-term, and how exactly does it change the way groundwater is managed? Tina Cannon Leahy, who helped draft SGMA as the former principal consultant for the California Assembly’s Water, Parks and Wildlife Committee, will address these questions at our Water 101 workshop Feb. 20 in Sacramento.

She also will discuss other hot topics in California water such as why all of California’s recent governors have proposed new conveyance in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, steps forward on access to safe, clean and affordable drinking water for disadvantaged communities, and how Gov. Gavin Newsom’s new Water Resilience Portfolio proposes to tackle persistent water challenges.

In addition to these topics, educational sessions at the Water 101 workshop also will address:

• California’s water geography, history and hydrology
• Water rights
• Water use and demand
• Navigating the state legislative process

Join us the next day, Feb. 21, for an optional one-day tour of innovative water projects and partnerships in the Sacramento area. Seating is limited so sign up soon!

For more information on the workshop and tour, or to register, please visit the event webpage.