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Overview -- Groundwater Management in California

Overview -- Groundwater Management in California. Western States Water Council April 2004. GW resources background. Supports about 30% of California urban & ag needs in average water years Important drought resource

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Overview -- Groundwater Management in California

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  1. Overview -- Groundwater Management in California Western States Water Council April 2004

  2. GW resources background • Supports about 30% of California urban & ag needs in average water years • Important drought resource • Supplies majority of state’s public water systems (largest urban agencies use surface water, almost all small systems use groundwater)

  3. Rights to use of groundwater • Not administered by State (unlike surface water) • Developed through case law

  4. Case law examples • City of Los Angeles v. City of San Fernando (1975) – mutual prescription not applicable between public agencies • Niles Sand & Gravel Co. v. Alameda County Water District (1974) – public agencies can store water underground & recover stored water

  5. Impetus for GW management • Seawater intrusion – widespread by 1950s • Overdraft, land subsidence • Fear of exports • State financial assistance • Other

  6. Physical realities of GW management • Limit/regulate extraction • Develop new in-basin surface supply • Bring in new imported water source • Storage/conjunctive use projects require available aquifer capacity, conveyance, and surface water source

  7. GW management techniques • Basin adjudication in court (19) • Special or general act districts • AB 3030 plans (>160 agencies) • County ordinances (28)

  8. Basin adjudications • Expensive • Entail years in court system

  9. AB 3030 plans • Enabling legislation enacted in 1992 • Plan adoption is voluntary • Hydrologic/hydrogeologic/political boundaries often differ • Plans may be multi-agency • Are they effective?

  10. GW storage projects increasing • Existing “large” projects w/ ballpark of 10 MAF total managed capacity • More than $500M in state financial assistance authorized 1996-2000 • Many “small” and “medium” projects now in planning stages, reflecting availability of substantial state funding

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