Resources - North Kings Groundwater Sustainability Agency

Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA)

The Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) is an unfunded State law requiring groundwater subbasins achieve sustainability. In high- and medium-priority subbasins designated as critically overdrafted, sustainability must be achieved by 2040. SGMA’s intent is to allow local agencies to sustainably manage groundwater. Over 260 local Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSAs) formed in California to implement the law, including the North Kings GSA. Located in the Kings Subbasin, a high-priority and critically overdrafted subbasin, the North Kings GSA will develop projects and implement management actions in the coming years to achieve balanced levels of groundwater supply in compliance with the law and for the benefit of its stakeholders.

To learn more about the SGMA timeline and North Kings GSA’s journey, visit our About page.

Groundwater Sustainability Plan

Background

A Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP) is a detailed roadmap for how a basin will avoid the adverse effects of groundwater overdraft and achieve balanced levels of groundwater to reach sustainability.

The GSP is a requirement of the 2014 California law, the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA). SGMA requires all high- and medium-priority subbasin Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSAs) develop and implement a GSP. GSAs in subbasins designated as high- or medium-priority and critically overdrafted were required to complete a GSP by January 31, 2020. SGMA defines a subbasin as critically overdrafted “when continuation of present water management practices would probably result in significant adverse overdraft-related environmental, social, or economic impacts”.

The North Kings GSA’s GSP includes a physical description of the groundwater management area including conditions, a water budget, groundwater management criteria, a monitoring program, and projects and measurable objectives to become sustainable by 2040.

Find more information on the North Kings GSA’s GSP, and to review the document, visit our GSP page here.

SGMA Sustainability Indicators

SGMA defines sustainable groundwater management as the management and use of groundwater in a manner that does not cause “undesirable results” for the following indicators: