Panel discusses water rights and pumping allocations, groundwater recharge as a beneficial use, public trust doctrine and groundwater, and the fee authorities for GSAs In 2014, California passed the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), which required all groundwater basins designated as high or medium priority to form Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSAs) to prepare locally-developed plans to bring the basin into sustainability.  Since the legislation took effect, many agencies and organizations have concerns about how to best meet the requirements of … Continue reading PANEL DISCUSSION: Emerging legal issues in SGMA implementation