Groundwater Sustainability Plan Portal
The North Fork Kings GSA published its updated draft Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP) for public review on October 11, 2024. The 40-day public comment period concluded at the Board of Directors meeting on November 20, 2024. The GSP will be presented to the Board for approval and adoption in January 2025. The final GSP will be available here on the North Fork Kings GSA website as soon as it is finalized.
Latest GSP Updates
Why did North Fork Kings GSA develop a Groundwater Sustainability Plan?
The Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP) is a requirement of the 2014 California law, Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA). The State law requires all high- and medium-priority basin Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSAs) to develop and implement a GSP. Once developed, GSPs are submitted to the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) for review. Basins designated as medium- or high-priority and critically overdrafted were required to complete a GSP by January 31, 2020. SGMA defines a basin as critically overdrafted “when continuation of present water management practices would probably result in significant adverse overdraft-related environmental, social, or economic impacts.” The GSP is a roadmap for how a basin will avoid the adverse effects of overdraft and achieve balanced levels of groundwater to reach sustainability.
The North Fork Kings GSA is located within the Kings Subbasin, designated under SGMA as a high-priority, critically overdrafted basin. North Fork Kings GSA developed and submitted its GSP and a Kings Subbasin coordination agreement to the State ahead of the January 31, 2020 deadline.
As required by SGMA, GSAs must update and resubmit their Groundwater Sustainability Plans GSPs every five years. The North Fork Kings GSA, along with other GSAs within the Kings Subbasin, is preparing to submit its updated GSP to CA DWR by January 2025.
What is a Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP)?
A Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP) is a roadmap for how a basin will avoid the adverse effects of groundwater overdraft and achieve balanced levels of groundwater to reach sustainability.
North Fork Kings GSA’s GSP includes a physical description of the groundwater management area including groundwater conditions, a water budget, groundwater management criteria, a monitoring program, and projects and measurable objectives to become sustainable by 2040. The North Fork Kings GSA Board aims to maintain flexibility in both supply and demand-side solutions, treating the GSP as a living document that can be adapted as needed to achieve sustainability.
While the State’s requirements for a GSP’s content are the same for all GSAs, North Fork Kings GSA’s issues and solutions are very specific to the unique challenges within the groundwater management area that it serves.
Who is involved in implementing the Groundwater Sustainability Plan?
Groundwater Sustainability Agency
The State has granted local Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSAs) powers to implement the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) in groundwater subbasins. In many cases, multiple GSAs exist within a subbasin. The State measures sustainability success at the subbasin level rather than individual GSA level. This means GSAs coordinate within their subbasin to achieve sustainable levels of groundwater.
Although GSAs may choose to develop individual GSPs, they must cooperate under a formal Coordination Agreement to bring the subbasin to sustainable groundwater levels by 2040.
The North Fork Kings GSA is one of seven GSAs in the Kings Subbasin. Each GSA developed and submitted its own GSP to the State, and will coordinate under a formal Coordination Agreement to ensure sustainability is met in the Kings Subbasin by 2040.
CA Department of Water Resources
The California Department of Water Resources (DWR) is the regulating and assisting agency under the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA). Their role is to review and approve Groundwater Sustainability Plans and track progress of local Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSAs) implementing their Plans. They also assist GSAs by providing data, tools, and technical support services.
Stakeholders
North Fork Kings GSA highly values public input and participation. Engagement in North Fork Kings GSA’s activities is necessary for the consideration of local stakeholders’ interests and preferences. North Fork Kings GSA will continue to provide opportunities for the public to engage in the GSP implementation process.
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State Water Resources Control Board
The State Water Resources Control Board (State Board or SWRCB) is the enforcement agency under the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA). Their role is to enforce SGMA mandates are met at the local level by Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSAs). If GSAs fail to meet SGMA’s mandates, the State Board will intervene to implement the law. If a Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP) is found by CA DWR to be inadequate, the subbasin transitions to oversight under the State Board. If the subbasin fails to meet the State Board’s requirements, it could be designated “probationary” through the probationary hearing process. Under probation, the State Board intervenes to manage groundwater in the basin instead of the GSA(s), requiring any groundwater extractors to file an extraction report with the State Board. The State Board may require the use of meters to measure extractions and implement pumping fees.