Proving commitment by Kaweah Subbasin to keep local control
At the East Kaweah GSA’s special Board of Directors meeting on October 2, 2024, the second amended draft Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP) was approved for public review, crossing another major milestone in the ongoing efforts to keep groundwater management local. The Mid-Kaweah and Greater Kaweah GSA Board of Directors approved their respective GSPs on the same date.
Stakeholders can view the draft GSP here (having trouble? try this link) and make a public comment on the East Kaweah GSA’s amended GSP until November 3, 2024, by the following methods:
- Emailing comments groundwater@ekgsa.org
- Mailing comments to P.O. Box 908, Lindsay, CA 93247; or
- Making a comment on the website form at www.ekgsa.org/gsp.
View East Kaweah GSA’s second amended GSP HERE.
You can also view Greater Kaweah GSA and Mid-Kaweah GSA GSPs here:
Greater Kaweah Second Amended GSP
East Kaweah pushes to address deficiencies, amending GSP for the second time in three months
The Kaweah Subbasin GSAs – East, Greater, and Mid-Kaweah – have been working diligently to keep groundwater management local and keep stakeholders engaged in the process. The GSA management, staff, consultants, and stakeholders were laser-focused to ensure the GSP was amended by October. Meeting this deadline was critical to make sure the State Water Resources Control Board’s (SWRCB or State Board) staff had adequate time to review GSPs before the probationary hearing in January 2025. Earning State approval on the GSPs is the most important checkpoint the Subbasin leadership and staff are focused on to achieve the goal of maintaining local control.
To this end, all three GSAs amended their GSPs for the second time in just three months to meet State Board criteria for an approved GSP.
East Kaweah GSA’s second amended GSP is available for review here.
All three Kaweah Subbasin GSPs must be approved by the State Board to avoid probation and keep local control over groundwater sustainability.
The Kaweah Subbasin GSAs released amended GSPs in June this year. While the first amended version addresses comments from the California Department of Water Resources (DWR), the timing of the State Board’s comments just a month prior in May did not leave time to incorporate them into the June GSPs (the June amended GSPs took over a year to develop). This second amended GSP addresses all deficiencies from both DWR and the State Board.
Efforts made to keep local control made possible by stakeholder engagement and public outreach
To address State Board’s deficiencies, the Subbasin has been in frequent communication with the State Board’s staff, attending multiple meetings per month to address their questions related to groundwater levels, land subsidence, mitigation, and approaches for interconnected surface water and addressing groundwater quality. These efforts required extensive coordination and communication among the Subbasin’s technical consultants, management, and staff to attend these meetings and make sure the GSPs were on the right track.
Stakeholder engagement and input has also been a hallmark of the amendments process. The GSA has been holding workshops for groups of stakeholders to hear about plans for groundwater quality improvements and how the GSA plans to address interconnected surface water. The workshops were designed to inform and solicit input from technical experts and those most impacted by groundwater quality and interconnected surface water, like domestic well users and growers in areas experiencing the impacts.
With this additional help from the GSAs’ stakeholders, consultants, Non-Governmental Organizations, Advisory and Technical Advisory Committee members, the East Kaweah GSA released an amended GSPs for the second time that have been shaped by critical input from a wide net of stakeholder groups.
Next Steps
The Kaweah Subbasin GSAs will incorporate public comments by November 8, 2024, and their respective Boards of Directors will vote to adopt the final amended GSPs. The Kaweah Subbasin GSAs expect the State Board’s staff report – including comments on the October amended GSP – to be released in December 2024. The Kaweah Subbasin GSAs will take this feedback into consideration ahead of the State Board hearing in January. The East Kaweah GSA looks forward to improving the draft GSP with the incorporated public comments before submitting to the State Board in January.
Stay engaged in the process
East Kaweah GSA aims to keep stakeholders informed on the latest developments as it works to keep groundwater sustainability in local hands. The GSA encourages all stakeholders to participate in the groundwater management process by attending Board of Directors, Technical Advisory Committee and Advisory Committee meetings, and subscribing to the email newsletter.
The Kaweah Subbasin GSAs remain committed to coordination and transparency with each other, the public, and the SWRCB to accomplish the goal of an approved GSP, and ultimately local groundwater management under the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA). The East Kaweah GSA is committed to playing its role in moving the Subbasin back under DWR’s governance and out of probation. Doing so will allow the GSA to take advantage of existing momentum to implement the improved GSP and make the Subbasin sustainable for the long-term.
Thank you for your involvement
East Kaweah GSA wants to thank several organizations, consultants, and committee members for playing a role in the process to amend the GSP . Without their support, input, and efforts, it would not be possible to keep local control over our groundwater.
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