Sustainable Groundwater Management Act

On September 16, 2014, Gov. Jerry Brown signed the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act of 2014 (SGMA) The SGMA provides a framework for sustainable management of groundwater supplies by local authorities. Recognizing that groundwater is most effectively managed at the local level, the SGMA empowers local agencies to achieve sustainability within 20 years. SGMA establishes minimum standards for sustainable groundwater management, improves coordination between land use and groundwater planning, provides state technical assistance, protects water rights, and creates a mechanism for state intervention if a local agency is not managing its groundwater sustainability.

North Santa Cruz County communities rely on groundwater for a major portion of their water supply. To that end, the Scotts Valley Water District (SVWD), San Lorenzo Valley Water District (SLVWD) and County of Santa Cruz (County) recognize that sustainable groundwater management is essential to ensure reliable and resilient water systems and desire to continue work collectively on the implementation of SGMA. The three agencies commit to work with each other and engage other stakeholders in revising basin boundaries, forming a Groundwater Management Agency (GSA) and developing a Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP).

Sustainability Process

The following graphic represents the process of reaching groundwater sustainability developed by the State and offers a greater level of detail than our timeline. Click on the image to expand it.