Kings Subbasin Receives Comments from DWR – Better Monitoring Data is Key to Support Groundwater Sustainability Progress

Reliable groundwater data continues to be a priority for the North Kings GSA and the entire Kings Subbasin as agencies work toward long-term groundwater sustainability.

During the September Board meeting, Kings Subbasin Point of Contact, Ronnie Samuelian, Provost & Pritchard Consulting Group, shared that the Kings Subbasin received comments from the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) on its latest Annual Report. The comments focused on how groundwater conditions are being reported, including monitoring wells with missing groundwater-level data. Some of these wells are part of the Subbasin’s network used to track groundwater levels against locally established sustainability goals (also referred to as Sustainable Management Criteria). Groundwater conditions are reported twice a year, in the spring and fall.

DWR has described groundwater-level monitoring data as a “report card” for successful implementation of sustainable groundwater management, underscoring the importance of having consistent data to track progress.

When data is not reported for one of these wells, it can be flagged as “failing” sustainability criteria in the State’s review, even though the missing data does not necessarily mean groundwater levels have crossed a sustainability threshold (explore the Minimum Well Depth Tool to learn more about these thresholds). The Subbasin is working to address those comments as part of its continued coordination with DWR. One approach includes replacing wells that cannot be reliably monitored with wells that can provide consistent groundwater-level data.

The discussion reinforces why North Kings GSA has been investing in its own dedicated groundwater monitoring network. Eleven dedicated monitoring wells are now operating across the GSA, providing more consistent and representative information about groundwater conditions. The next phase will expand that network further with an additional 8 to 10 monitoring wells. The complete network will include 48 wells across the GSA.

If groundwater-level monitoring data is used as a “report card” for successful implementation of sustainable groundwater management, expanding the GSA’s dedicated monitoring network helps fill data gaps and provides a clearer picture of how groundwater conditions are changing over time and how the region is progressing toward sustainability.

Learn More About the Monitoring Well Network or view the latest groundwater levels with the Groundwater Level Data Viewer.