Public Participation in State Water Board Roles Related to SGMA
Engagement with the public and interested parties is a cornerstone of the State Water Board's implementation of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA). Inviting diverse voices and opinions into the State Water Board's decision-making process can create better outcomes for sustainable groundwater management.
Local Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSAs) were formed to develop Groundwater Sustainability Plans (GSPs) to manage groundwater locally. The California Department of Water Resources (DWR) reviewed the plans and determined if they were adequate or inadequate to manage groundwater locally. Plans that were determined to be inadequate are now going through the state intervention process. State intervention is a process that could result in the State Water Board temporarily managing and protecting groundwater resources until local GSAs are able and willing to do so adequately. There are several steps to the state intervention process. The State Water Board SGMA status map shows groundwater basins where state intervention is occurring or could occur. The State Water Board's role under SGMA offers opportunities for public engagement at each step of state intervention.
Other SGMA Links
How to Engage
1) Learn About Your Groundwater
- Identify your local Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA) and review their Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP) to better understand how groundwater is being managed in your area. Enter your address to locate your GSA in our Basin and GSA Lookup Tool. The Lookup Tool will provide your GSA's website where you can view their GSP.
- You can also use our SGMA status map to determine if the GSP for your area has been deemed approved, incomplete, or inadequate by DWR.
- The DWR SGMA online portal also provides information on GSA formation, GSP submittal, and other SGMA resources.
2) Understand Engagement Timelines
- Each groundwater basin under state intervention will have its own engagement opportunities and timelines. Visit our Groundwater Basins webpage to learn more about specific basin public engagement opportunities.
- You can view our SGMA public meetings calendar for past and future engagement opportunities.
3) Provide Written Comments
- As part of state intervention, the State Water Board will publicly notice, release a draft staff report, and hold a public hearing to decide whether to designate a basin as probationary. The draft staff report describes the actions staff recommends the Board should take at the probationary hearing. You are encouraged to provide comments to the State Water Board on the draft staff report by following submission instructions in the probationary hearing public notice located on the respective groundwater basin webpage and on our SGMA public meetings calendar. Also, all documents available for public comment are posted on our website.
4) Provide Comments at a Public Workshop
- State Water Board staff will hold public workshops (online and in-person in the basin) to describe the actions recommended in the draft staff report and receive input from the public. During the workshops, you can provide comments and also ask questions on the intervention and probationary hearing process. Visit the groundwater basin webpages and our SGMA public meetings calendar for more information on public workshops.
5) Provide Comments at the Public Probationary Hearing
- At the State Water Board probationary hearing for a groundwater basin, you can provide comments in-person or via Zoom. The public notice for the probationary hearing will include more information on how to participate.
6) Stay Informed
- Please check this webpage or subscribe to our email list (see “Stay Informed” below) to receive announcements and updates.
What Information to Share with the State Water Board
Sharing your comments with the State Water Board can help shape the recommendations that staff provide to the Board and help inform the Board as it makes decisions on the following:
- Whether the basin should be designated as probationary.
- What improvements to require GSAs to make before a basin exits probation (to ensure local groundwater sustainability plans better manage groundwater).
- What metering or measurement requirements should be imposed (these would apply to pumpers who must report their groundwater extractions while the basin is on probation), and exemptions from these requirements.
What information you could share that could help shape these decisions could include:
- Recommendations for specific actions or changes
- Sharing specific data and sources
- Sharing specific impacts that could occur or are currently occurring
- Sharing new or unknown information
Overview of the State Intervention Process
Note: GSAs may off-ramp from state intervention at any point if inadequacies are corrected.
State intervention is a process that could result in the State Water Board temporarily managing and protecting groundwater resources until local agencies are able and willing to do so adequately. There are several possible steps to the intervention process and each step will involve public input and engagement.
When the Department of Water Resources (DWR) refers a basin to the State Water Board for state intervention, the Board may hold a probationary hearing for the basin. Prior to any hearing, Board staff will lead workshops to hear from the public. If there is a probationary hearing, the State Water Board will decide whether to designate the basin as a probationary basin. A probationary designation would mean:
- Some groundwater pumpers may have to report their pumping to the State Water Board and pay fees. The Board has a fees stakeholder process.
- Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSAs) would work to fix the problems identified at the hearing by the State Water Board.
A public process, leading up to and including the probationary hearing, will support the Board in making this decision.
During probation, the State Water Board may require groundwater pumpers in the basin to install meters, measure and report their groundwater extractions, and pay fees. Additionally, the Board may also conduct investigations and gather data necessary for sustainable groundwater management in the basin.
If the issues that caused a basin to be designated probationary are not addressed during the first year of the probationary period, the State Water Board may begin another public process to determine whether to develop and implement an interim plan. An interim plan would describe the steps that the state would implement to temporarily manage groundwater in the basin. If an interim plan is developed, the plan would be adopted through a public hearing process similar to the probationary hearing process. Prior to the interim plan hearing, the State Water Board will solicit feedback on a proposed interim plan from the public and interested parties including:
- Contents of the interim plan, potentially including restrictions on groundwater extractions.
- Inclusion of local Groundwater Sustainability Plans (GSPs) or part of the GSPs in the interim plan, where the Board finds they would help meet the groundwater sustainability goal for the basin.
If the State Water Board adopts an interim plan, the Board would temporarily manage groundwater in the basin until local agencies can demonstrate their ability to manage the basin sustainably and resume management.
To end State Water Board management of a basin, local agencies in that basin will have to demonstrate their ability and willingness to manage groundwater sustainably by addressing the issues that caused state intervention. Please check the respective basin webpages for opportunities to be involved. Learn more about DWR’s process on their SGMA website.
Contact Us
If you have questions, please contact us at 916-322-6508 or email at SGMA@waterboards.ca.gov.
Language Access Services
The State Water Board provides interpretation and translation services in any language at no cost to you.
- Language interpretation for public meetings, workshops, and meetings with Water Board staff.
- Written translation of documents including comment letters, fact sheets, and more.
To request these services, please complete the Language Access Form by clicking on the "Request Language Services" button below.
The form is available in English, Español (Spanish), Tagalog, 中文 (Simplified Chinese), 한국인 (Korean), Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese), ਪੰਜਾਬੀ (Punjabi).
