State Water Board Wants Input on Effective Groundwater Management Plan
State Water Resources Control Board will hold a public workshop to receive input on its draft The Groundwater Workplan Concept Paper.
Date, time, and location of workshop:
Wednesday, January 22, 2014 – 9:00 a.m.
Joe Serna Jr. – Cal/EPA Headquarters Building
Coastal Hearing Room
1001 I Street, Second Floor
Sacramento, CA 95814
With increased demands on the State’s water supply and projected decline in surface water runoff, the State relies more on groundwater. However, many of California’s aquifers are already experiencing contamination and/or overdraft. These challenges do not lend themselves to a “one size fits all” solution, given the varying physical and institutional characteristics of California’s groundwater basins.
The Water Boards are developing a workplan that aligns its current groundwater protection efforts, the ongoing actions of other entities with groundwater management responsibilities, and potential actions that the Water Boards and others could pursue.
A goal of the workplan is to promote collaboration and cooperation among local, regional, and State agencies and other stakeholders to help promote more effective groundwater management that supports beneficial uses over the long-term.
Whether implemented at the local, regional, or State level, the Water Boards believe that an effective groundwater management program generally requires five key elements to be in place.
- Thresholds
- Monitoring/assessment
- Governance/management
- Funding
- Enforcement
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