California today marks 10 years since the enactment of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), a landmark law that aims to reduce the overuse of groundwater to protect drinking water supplies for millions of Californians and enhance resilience to climate change impacts.
Groundwater constitutes a significant portion of California’s water system, accounting for 41 percent of the state’s total water supply in normal years and up to 60 percent during droughts. Approximately 85 percent of Californians depend on groundwater for some part of their water needs.
The overpumping of groundwater has led to severe declines in groundwater levels, land subsidence affecting infrastructure and storage capacity, seawater intrusion, and degradation of water quality in overdrafted basins.
“Groundwater is a critical part of the state’s water supply that our communities, economy, and environment rely on – especially amid hotter, drier conditions driven by climate change. We must continue our progress to preserve and protect this vital resource for all Californians – the cost and consequences of inaction are far too great,” stated Governor Gavin Newsom.
SGMA was enacted on September 16, 2014, during a historic drought, with the goal of halting overdraft and achieving balanced levels of pumping and recharge. Before SGMA, California was the only Western state without statewide groundwater management.
In the decade since its passage, significant progress has been made:
– Over 250 local Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSAs) have been established to protect drinking water wells, reduce land sinking, and improve groundwater supplies.
– These GSAs are implementing more than 100 Groundwater Sustainability Plans using innovative solutions like recharging groundwater supplies to promote a resilient and sustainable water supply.
– Efforts to recharge groundwater have improved water supply reliability; in 2023 alone, managed efforts added 4.1 million acre-feet of water to underground aquifers.
– The state has invested nearly $1 billion in SGMA over ten years, including more than $100 million through the Department of Water Resources for local groundwater recharge projects.
– California is now collecting more groundwater data than ever before, enhancing understanding and supporting better management decisions.
Recharging groundwater is central to California’s strategy for expanding water supplies and countering hotter and drier conditions projected to reduce the state’s water supply by up to 10% by 2040. The state is expediting permits for groundwater recharge efforts with an ambitious target to increase annual recharge capacity by 500,000 acre-feet.
More information on SGMA implementation and an upcoming event marking this milestone can be found here.
