NOW AVAILABLE: DWR Releases Frequently Asked Questions: Department’s Role in State Intervention under SGMA

From the Department of Water Resources:

The Department of Water Resources (Department, DWR) has released a frequently asked questions document to address inquiries from groundwater sustainability agencies (GSAs) and the public at large, on the Department’s role and responsibilities when a basin is subject to State Water Resources Control Board (Board) jurisdiction and state intervention under Chapter 11 of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA).

The Department and the Board implement administrative and regulatory functions as prescribed by SGMA. In particular:

  • Chapter 10 of SGMA (State Evaluation and Assessment; Wat. Code §§ 10733-10733.8), directs the Department to assess and evaluate Groundwater Sustainability Plans (GSPs), and
  • Chapter 11 of SGMA (State Intervention; Wat. Code §§ 10735-10736.6), addresses state intervention by the Board. The Department’s inadequate determination triggers Chapter 11 of SGMA.

DWR today released its Frequently Asked Questions: Department’s Role in State Intervention responding to the most frequently asked questions, found on DWR’s GSP website, which includes additional information on DWR’s GSP evaluation, Annual Reports, the GSP Regulations, and more.

The Department’s assessments and inadequate determinations for GSPs or their implementation can be found on the SGMA Portal. If GSAs adopt new, revised, or amended Plans to address an inadequate determination, those Plans will be submitted by those GSAs to the SGMA Portal State Intervention tab.

For more information regarding the Board’s current state intervention process, regulatory actions, and efforts in these basins to exit state intervention, or to provide comments to the Board regarding state intervention issues, refer to the following webpage: Board’s SGMA website.

For questions or more information, email sgmps@water.ca.gov

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