… SGMA requires local Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSAs) to develop groundwater sustainability plans (Plans) to chart a path for achieving sustainable groundwater management by 2040. Implementing Plans will cost money. However, generating new sources of revenue and repurposing existing ones can be complex. Without careful attention to these challenges, the revenue generation process can be protracted and vulnerable to failure–a concern that early signs of litigation and opposition to GSAs’ efforts to generate revenue suggest. Our new issue brief reports on results from a systematic analysis of attention to financing in a sample of Plans. We developed a rubric for evaluating Plans for adequacy of attention to financing considerations and applied this rubric to a sample of Plans. We also analyzed DWR’s process for reviewing Plans, including its approach to satisfying relevant statutory and regulatory requirements.

Other groundwater news:

• The Paso Robles Press (Calif.): Shandon-San Juan Water District opposes groundwater fees for domestic users​
• The Paso Robles Press (Calif.): Estrella-El Pomar-Creston Water District Board advocates for excluding domestic water users from extraction fees​