From the State Water Resources Control Board:
The State Water Resources Control Board today released a Staff Assessment of the Chowchilla Subbasin under the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), recommending that the State Water Board return the subbasin to the Department of Water Resources’ (DWR) jurisdiction.
The board’s staff assessment of Chowchilla’s latest 2025 Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP) found that the Chowchilla Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSAs) made significant progress in adequately addressing the plan’s deficiencies.
Release of the assessment starts a four-week public comment period that ends May 23. Thereafter, the five board members will consider acting on the recommendation at a June 3 meeting.
Enacted in 2014, SGMA established a new framework for local groundwater management to achieve long-term sustainability. Under SGMA, GSAs in subbasins are required to achieve long-term groundwater sustainability within 20 years of implementing their GSPs. The board’s intervention process is triggered when DWR finds that management in a subbasin fails to reach groundwater sustainability.
If the board approves the recommendation, the Chowchilla Subbasin would return to DWR’s jurisdiction.
How to Provide Comments on the Staff Assessment
Send any comments to SGMA-Chowchilla@waterboards.ca.gov and use the subject line: “Comments – Chowchilla Subbasin”. The deadline for written comments on the Staff Assessment for the Chowchilla Subbasin is 12:00 noon on Friday, May 23, 2025.
How to Participate at the Board Meeting
Tuesday, June 3, 2025, at 9:00 a.m.
In-Person Location
Coastal Hearing Room
Joe Serna Jr. CalEPA Headquarter Building
1001 I Street, Second Floor, Sacramento, CA 95814
How to Provide Public Comments at the Board Meeting
- To provide an oral comment remotely, you will need to fill out a virtual speaker card using an online form and wait for the Board Clerk to provide you with Zoom login information.
- To provide an oral comment in-person, you can fill out the online speaker card form on the day of the Board meeting, or in advance. The speaker card form will be available online a few days before the Board meeting. Should you have any questions or problems, please send an email to: board.clerk@waterboards.ca.gov.
How to Watch Online
If you do not wish to provide a comment, you can watch the Board meeting in English, Spanish, or Punjabi on the CalEPA webcast.
How to Request Language Services
Spanish and Punjabi interpretation will be provided at the Board meeting. For language services other than Spanish or Punjabi, please call 916-322-6508 or email opp-languageservices@waterboards.ca.gov by May 19, 2025.
The June 3 Board meeting agenda item to consider returning the Chowchilla Subbasin to DWR’s oversight is subject to change. The State Water Board will send a notification to the SGMA Groundwater Management email list if the agenda item is postponed. The Board meeting agenda will be available at least 10 days before the meeting and will be posted on the Board Meeting Calendar webpage.
More Information
- View the Chowchilla Fact Sheet in English, Spanish, or Punjabi.
- View the Executive Summary in English, Spanish, or Punjabi.
- Visit the State Water Board’s Chowchilla Groundwater Subbasin webpage and the Board’s general SGMA webpage.
Questions? Contact the SGMA Program at sgma@waterboards.ca.gov or 916-322-6508
More information on SGMA can be found on the webpage.
