Although water year 2016 is an improvement over the previous four severely dry years drought conditions persist, with low water allocations for many San Joaquin Valley agricultural water users. Valley groundwater levels continue to decline as surface water shortages are made up by groundwater pumping.

This heavy reliance on groundwater has resulted in declining water levels, increased overdraft and a heightened awareness of the new Sustainable Groundwater Management Act. All of these issues were discussed at a special free briefing June 1, 2016. Sponsored by the California Department of Water Resources and the Water Education Foundation in cooperation with Center for Irrigation Technology, the event was held at the Alice Peters Auditorium (PB 191) in the University Business Center at CSU Fresno.

Speakers discussions focused on:

• Hydrologic conditions and drought status
• San Joaquin Valley groundwater conditions and status of SGMA implementation
• Monitoring valley land subsidence with remote sensing
• Beginning SGMA implementation – the local perspective
• Private residential wells and drought

View the speaker presentations below.