On October 13, 2025, the State Water Resources Control Board staff released a report recommending that the Kaweah Subbasin GSAs — East Kaweah, Mid-Kaweah, and Greater Kaweah GSAs — move back under the Department of Water Resources (DWR). The report has a 30-day public review period, and at the December 2, 2025, State Water Board meeting, staff will make the official recommendation for the Board to take action to pass the Kaweah Subbasin back to DWR. You can view the State Water Board’s announcement of the return to DWR here.

This return to DWR comes after the Subbasin submitted their second amended Groundwater Sustainability Plans (GSPs) in November 2024.

This is a landmark milestone for the Subbasin after being under threat of probation for nearly two years. In March 2023, the Subbasin received word from DWR that their GSPs were not approved. Since then, the Kaweah Subbasin GSAs and their technical consultants amended their GSPs twice, addressing both the State Water Board’s and DWR’s deficiencies. The Subbasin submitted the second amended GSPs in November 2024.

Remaining under DWR means that the Subbasin can locally control its groundwater management, addressing groundwater overdraft by implementing the GSPs. The three GSAs continue to work in coordination to achieve sustainability by 2040.

East Kaweah GSA is grateful to the stakeholders, committee members, and technical consultants who make local implementation possible.

Don’t miss this timely opportunity to hear from the Kaweah Subbasin GSA managers and their technical consultants about local Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) implementation and progress at State of the Subbasin. State of the Subbasin is happening October 21, 2025 from 9:00 AM to 1:30 PM with BBQ lunch provided.