From the Nature Conservancy:
The California Salmon and Steelhead Coalition (SSC), a partnership between Trout Unlimited, The Nature Conservancy, and California Trout, has developed a new report to help local governments address water security, community benefits and wildlife habitat associated with groundwater resources.
Groundwater management is changing across California. The passage of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) in 2014 was a response to unsustainable groundwater pumping, which has been exacerbated by drought conditions. However, SGMA only applies to a limited portion of the state, leaving many areas without consistent guidelines for managing groundwater resources. In 2018, a legal decision by the State Water Board ruled that counties must address the potential negative impacts on public trust resources, particularly streamflow necessary for fish, when approving new well permits.
Updating well ordinances presents a significant challenge for local governments who often do not have the technical expertise and resources to undertake the groundwater modeling and other analyses necessary to address these new requirements. That is why the Salmon and Steelhead Coalition created a new report, Safeguarding California’s Streams: How Well Permitting Can Protect Water for People and Wildlife. The report is intended to help local governments successfully update their well ordinances by providing:
✅A summary of recent legal developments and county responsibilities.
✅A five-step framework for developing the necessary information to support permitting decisions.
✅Technical guidance and identifies tools for assessing natural resources and developing a well permitting program that is protective of public trust resources and increases the water supply resiliency of communities.
Learn More About Safeguarding California’s Streams on our Groundwater Resource Hub.
WEBINAR: SAFEGUARDING CALIFORNIA’S STREAMS – REGISTER HERE
On Tuesday, January 20th join the Environmental Water Network (EWN) to lean how science-based well permitting protects streamflow for fish and wildlife, safeguards water for farms and communities, and enhances quality of life with healthy swimmable creeks.
This EWN webinar will:
✅ Summarize recent legal developments and county responsibilities
✅ Present a five-step framework for supporting well permitting decisions
✅ Share technical tools for assessing natural resources and building resilient water supplies
