NOW AVAILABLE: DWR Releases Webinar on Depletion of Interconnected Surface Water and Extends Paper Comment Period

From the Department of Water Resources:

To help Groundwater Sustainability Agencies address the depletion of interconnected surface water (ISW) in their Groundwater Sustainability Plans, the Department of Water Resources (DWR) released a pre-recorded informational webinar summarizing the contents of three previously released draft ISW papers (linked below). The webinar also describes the next steps in the development of a guidance document which will aim to discuss the management of depletion of ISW. The guidance document is planned for release as a draft in winter 2024/2025 and DWR has included a call for public input to aid in the development of the guidance document via an online form as presented in the webinar or linked here: Guidance for Managing ISW Depletion Questionnaire. DWR requests that feedback be provided before November 30, 2024.

With the release of Papers 2 and 3, DWR opened a forty-five (45)-day public comment period. To give the public additional time to review and provide meaningful feedback, DWR is extending the comment period by 14 days to November 18, 2024. Comments can be submitted for each of the three papers (Paper 1, Paper 2, and/or Paper 3) by emailing sgmps@water.ca.gov.

The webinar, guidance questionnaire, a cover letter, the three-paper ISW series, and subsequent ISW guidance documents will be posted on DWR’s Best Management Practices and Guidance Documents webpage under the heading Guidance Documents. The webpage will continue to be updated with the latest information on DWR’s progress on ISW guidance. Direct links to view the webinar and download each of the papers is as follows:

  1. Webinar Video, Interconnected Surface Water Depletion Informational Webinar
  2. Questionnaire, Interconnected Surface Water Depletion Guidance Questionnaire
  3. Paper 1, Depletions of Interconnected Surface Water: An Introduction
  4. Paper 2, Techniques for Estimating Interconnected Surface Water Depletion Caused by Groundwater Use
  5. Paper 3, Examples for Estimating Interconnected Surface Water Depletion Caused By Groundwater Use
  6. Cover Letter, ISW Papers Cover Letter

For questions, or comments pertaining to the three papers, please email sgmps@water.ca.gov.