California Statewide Groundwater Elevation Monitoring (CASGEM)

1. California Statewide Groundwater Elevation Monitoring (CASGEM) California Department of Water Resources 2011 Geology Meeting April 13, 2011 Mary Scruggs California Department of Water Resources Division of Integrated Regional Water Management

2. CASGEM Outline • CASGEM Overview • CASGEM Implementation • Questions

3. CASGEM OverviewCalifornia Statewide Groundwater Elevation Monitoring Program Rationale: Groundwater elevation trends are fundamental to manage and sustain California’s limited groundwater resources

4. California Water Code: Groundwater Monitoring WC Sections 10920-10936 + Section 12924 November 2009 Senate Bill x7 6 amended the Water Code to establish a voluntary Statewide groundwater monitoring program • Local “Monitoring Entities” will regularly and systematically monitor and report groundwater elevations • DWR will make the program’s groundwater data readily and widely available to the public

5. What is CASGEM?California Statewide Groundwater Elevation Monitoring Voluntary, long-term program to collect groundwater elevations statewide • Builds on established local groundwater monitoring programs • Establishes an online system for data submittal • Makes groundwater data readily and widely available to public online • Prioritizes groundwater basins • Investigates groundwater basins • Provides status reports to Governor and Legislature

6. CASGEM Goals • Encourage local participation throughout the state • Determine the extent of groundwater elevation monitoring in California’s groundwater basins • Establish a statewide groundwater monitoring network that shows seasonal and long-term trends • Work collaboratively with local agencies to improve monitoring throughout California’s groundwater basins

7. Why is groundwater elevation data important? Understanding seasonal and long-term groundwater trends are fundamental to: • Evaluate changes in groundwater supply • Identify potential problems such as groundwater overdraft and land subsidence • Successfully manage and sustain California’s limited groundwater resources

8. Who can be a Monitoring Entity? Per Water Code Section 10927 • Watermaster • Groundwater management agency • Water replenishment district • Local agency or County with an established Groundwater Management Plan • Local agency that is part of an established Integrated Regional Water Management Program • County • Voluntary cooperative groundwater monitoring association

9. What does a Monitoring Entity do? • The Monitoring Entity(s) in a basin work with DWR to establish an effective monitoring plan • Measure and collect groundwater level measurements from cooperating agencies • Submit the collected data to DWR

10. CASGEM Challenges • Tight deadlines • Voluntary program • Statewide program • Limited resources, no funding with SBx7 6 • Diversity throughout the state • 515 basins with varied hydrogeology • Many agencies and diverse local interests • Wide range of resource uses, needs, and constraints

11. Timeline • Enacted November 2009 • Local agencies notify DWR of intent to be Monitoring Entity DWR by January 1, 2011 • Monitoring Entities submit monitoring plans by Summer 2011 • DWR reviews plans and designates Monitoring Entities Spring and Summer 2011 • Monitoring Entities begin groundwater elevation measuring by Fall 2011 • Monitoring Entities submit first round of groundwater elevation data to DWR by January 1, 2012 • DWR submits report to Governor and Legislature by January 1, 2012

12. Program Implementation • Conducted CASGEM workshops - Summer 2010 • Developed outreach materials – CASGEM website, FAQs, reporting requirements and procedures manual for Monitoring Entities – Fall 2010 • Released first phase of CASGEM online submittal system – December 2010 • Began receiving notifications to become Monitoring Entity – December 16, 2010 • Began reviewing Monitoring Entities notifications – January 2011 • Began designating Monitoring Entities – March 2011

13. Monitoring Entity Notification Status As of March 2011: • Over 367 notifications opened • 356 notifications completed • 111 agencies submitted notifications • 271 Basins and Subbasins represented • 56 out of 58 counties have at least some basin area represented

14. Next Steps • Region Office support to local Monitoring Entities and Cooperating Agencies – Ongoing • DWR will release Phase 2 of CASGEM online system for submittal of monitoring plans and well information – May 18, 2011 • DWR will release Phase 3 of CASGEM online system for submittal of groundwater elevation data and to provide public access to data – Late September 2011

15. Timeline for Planning, Monitoring and Reporting • Monitoring network plans should be completed and submitted to DWR’s online system by Summer 2011 • Measurements should begin no later than Fall 2011 • Reporting of groundwater elevation data to DWR is required to begin on or before January 1, 2012

16. CASGEM DatabaseUser Goals • Statewide data will be made readily and widely available to the public • Local and state entities can use data to evaluate and monitor regional groundwater conditions • DWR will evaluate extent of statewide groundwater monitoring (pending funding) • DWR will prioritize groundwater basins (pending funding) • DWR will submit first program status report to Governor and Legislature by January 1, 2012

17. http://www.water.ca.gov/groundwater/casgem

18. Questions? http://www.water.ca.gov/groundwater/casgem