East Kaweah GSA Board of Directors received a report at the April 28 Board Meeting indicating a well registration effort may be on the horizon for the agency.

The agency’s technical consultants expressed a need to assess where wells are located to improve budget forecasting for the Well Mitigation Program, and to support ongoing groundwater management efforts more broadly. Knowing where wells are and how they are used is foundational for understanding aquifer conditions, estimating groundwater demands, and better identifying and managing areas at risk of failing to hit sustainability targets.

Without a registry the GSA’s technical efforts are limited in long-term projections that inform short-term decision making – less data means more assumptions must be made to fill in the gaps. Better data results in more accuracy and improves planning efforts.

While public well databases do exist, these databases are filled with inconsistencies and inaccuracies that make confirming information and digging for missing data a tedious and near-impossible task.

Well registration is a commitment identified in the updated Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP) and following through on GSP implementation, including well registration, is critical to maintaining local control over groundwater supplies. Well registration would be a major step toward fulfilling GSP commitments.

As it stands at the time of publication, the State Water Resources Control Board (State Board) staff is still reviewing the GSP to confirm whether the Kaweah Subbasin GSAs will keep local control and move back under the Department of Water Resources’ (DWR) oversight. Continuing with implementation of programs like well registration furthers the momentum gained in 2024, when the Kaweah Subbasin submitted their second updated GSPs and received notice that their State Board Probationary Hearing was canceled.

To stay updated on well registration, and the State Board’s GSP review, subscribe to the email list at ekgsa.org/keep-informed.