Data gap studies and analyses will inform groundwater management

The North Kings GSA is gearing up to conduct data gap studies and analyses to better inform groundwater management and achieve sustainable supply by 2040 under the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA). This effort is being undertaken in coordination with the other GSAs in the Kings Subbasin.

In an update on the Kings Subbasin efforts, Ronnie Samuelian, Provost & Pritchard, described the upcoming studies: confined aquifer pumping analysis, interconnected surface water analysis, and a shallow well study to inform a future well mitigation program. These efforts were the most significant changes identified in the revised and resubmitted Groundwater Sustainability Plan. The studies have not yet been initiated but are being prepared ahead of the revised GSP determination from the Department of Water Resources, expected this winter.

As part of the analyses, the North Kings GSA is crafting more intelligent data across its network of representative monitoring wells. As the North Kings GSA better refines data gaps, the agency will be equipped to better evaluate what’s happening with groundwater levels and flows throughout the North Kings GSA. The studies will also evaluate the water demand within the GSA boundaries in relation to surrounding GSAs in the Kings Subbasin.