At the November 13th special board meeting, the East Kaweah GSA Board of Directors unanimously adopted the November 2024 Second Amended GSP. This GSP addresses both the Department of Water Resources’ (DWR) and the State Water Resources Control Board’s (State Board) deficiencies ahead of the State Board hearing scheduled for January 7, 2025. The GSP was amended with the goal of maintaining local control over groundwater management.

Greater Kaweah and Mid-Kaweah GSAs have also adopted their second amended GSPs this week, and the three GSAs will submit the latest GSPs to the State Board as one coordinated Kaweah Subbasin. 

Ahead of consideration for adoption by the Board, the GSP draft was available for public review and comment from October 2 through November 3.

This GSP is the second iteration of GSP amendments completed in the same year – a challenging endeavor made possible by the committed efforts of our board, committee members, technical consultants,, and members of the public who participated in the amendment process. East Kaweah GSA pursued amending the GSP a second time to keep groundwater control local for the benefit of its’ landowners and communities.

Maintaining local control requires avoiding a probationary designation under the supervision of the State Board, a decision that will be made by the State Board at the probationary hearing in January following their staff’s review of the GSP in the coming weeks. Local control remains the priority for East Kaweah GSA’s board and staff, as it keeps resources, money, groundwater management, and decision-making within the hands of local stakeholders..

The 2024 2nd Amended Draft GSP was written with the help and coordination of several technical experts, consultants, and committee members. Non-governmental organization (NGO) partnerships have also played a pivotal role in the amended GSP efforts over the last year by helping the Kaweah Subbasin GSAs represent stakeholder groups in disadvantaged communities for its Mitigation Program.

The East Kaweah GSA thanks the team of technical experts, committee members, organizations, and SWRCB staff. Linking arms on the full faith effort to keep local groundwater control has not been possible without their determination, diligence, and collaboration.

Non-Governmental Organizations

• Community Water Center (CWC)
• Self Help Enterprises (SHE)
• Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability (LCJA)
• The Nature Conservancy (TNC)
• Delta-View Groundwater Association
• Tulare County Resource Conservation District
• Sequoia Riverlands Trust
• Kaweah Delta Conservation District
• California Department of Fish and Wildlife

Technical Consultants

• INTERA, Inc.
• Provost & Pritchard Consulting Group
• Montgomery and Associates
• 4Creeks, Inc
• Tomas Harder
• Keller and Wegley Engineering

Committees

• Advisory Committee
• Technical Advisory Committee

Public Outreach

• Growers and local stakeholders
• Self Help Enterprises
• California Water Coalition
• East Kaweah GSA strategy team
• Provost & Pritchard Consulting Group