North Fork Kings GSA Will Conduct Groundwater Allocations Pilot on Watermark
The North Fork Kings GSA will conduct a pilot this fall to study groundwater pumping allocations. The pilot will serve as a guide for the future implementation of groundwater allocations in the GSA, and will help the agency work through process and methodology with the input of its landowners. The pilot is a collaborative process between one of the surface water units and its landowners within the North Fork Kings GSA.
Landowners in the pilot will be able to use Watermark to manage their groundwater allocations. On Watermark, these landowners will access and simulate water accounting capabilities, and view information about their water use in relation to their groundwater allocation and surface water supplies, including how much groundwater has been used and how much is available.
An allocation will limit the amount of groundwater that can be pumped per acre over a period of time. Because increasing surface water supply and recharge alone is not enough to fully balance groundwater pumping demands, having allocations in place is an important tool in the GSA’s toolbox to balance groundwater levels and reach sustainability under the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA).
The GSA is committed to providing landowners with transparent communication and will keep landowners engaged throughout the pilot. After the pilot, the agency will determine a path forward for widescale implementation of groundwater allocations using the Watermark tool.
The Board of Directors recognizes that an allocation will affect landowners’ groundwater use. A stakeholder-driven process will continue to be in place for the development of the Groundwater Allocation Program to give landowners the opportunity to participate in designing an allocation that offers the maximum flexibility possible while meeting sustainability requirements.
To stay updated on the Groundwater Allocation Program, get engaged with us by attending the Board and Committee meetings, and sign up for the email list at northforkkings.org.