SGMA Overview

The Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), which went into effect on Jan. 1, 2015, established a robust framework for the sustainable management of groundwater resources for the first time in California’s history. Groundwater is a critical component of the state’s water supply portfolio, and if effectively managed, this resource will help protect communities, farms, and the environment against the impacts of prolonged dry periods and climate change. SGMA recognizes that management is most effective when done at the local level by local agencies with adequate information, tools, resources, and authorities. See also the Solano Subbasin FAQs for answers to many common SGMA questions.

SGMA requires medium- and high-priority groundwater basins in the state to be managed by local agencies that have formed a Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA) by June 30, 2017. Once formed, GSAs needed to develop and implement a Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP) by Jan. 31, 2022 to guide the sustainable management of its groundwater basin. The GSA or GSAs have 20 years following this date to achieve its sustainability goals. The law allows for limited state intervention when necessary to protect groundwater resources.

Read the Solano GSP and the Solano Subbasin FAQs to learn more

What is Sustainable Groundwater Management?

Management and use of groundwater in a manner that can be maintained during the planning and implementation horizon without causing undesirable results is what sustainable groundwater management is all about.

Undesirable results are what we are trying to avoid in the Solano Subbasin, they consist of:

  • Chronic lowering of groundwater levels indicating a significant and unreasonable depletion of supply
  • Significant and unreasonable reduction of groundwater storage
  • Significant and unreasonable seawater intrusion
  • Significant unreasonable degraded water quality
  • Significant and unreasonable land subsidence
  • Depletions of interconnected surface water that have significant and unreasonable adverse impacts on beneficial use of the surface water

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 Clicking on the link above will take you to an interactive Solano Subbasin and GSA Boundaries map.

Contact

Solano Groundwater Sustainability Agency

810 Vaca Valley Parkway, Vacaville, CA 95688

Tel: 707.451.6090 Fax: 707.451.6099

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