Eleven years ago, California passed the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) to manage groundwater use at the local level and ensure long term sustainability. UC ANR is providing technical assistance to inform and engage small-scale farmers in the San Joaquin Valley, Southern California and the Central Coast about SGMA implementation.
Local Groundwater Management
With funding from the Legislature through the Department of Water Resources (DWR) Underrepresented Communities, California Tribes, and Small Farmers Technical Assistance Program (URCTA), UC ANR regional Community Educators are participating at local Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSAs) meetings and extending education to small-scale farmers. GSAs across the San Joaquin Valley have put together a variety of actions to manage groundwater including requirements to register wells, demand management policies, surface water supplementation and more. These actions may benefit or impact your small-scale operation.
Does SGMA affect water use and costs?
Some of the changes that small-scale farmers may face with SGMA implementation include cut back to groundwater pumping, penalty fees for over pumping, State Water Resources Control Board’s probationary reporting and fees, increase in property tax from proposition 218 and more. Contact UC ANR Technical Assistance Community Educators to learn more about groundwater management in your region and the management actions being implemented.
The Fresno UCCE office now has a SGMA Community Educator!
Erik Rodriguez is supporting small farmers specifically in Madera and Fresno counties to understand SGMA implementation. Similar to the UCCE Fresno office, Tulare, Modesto, San Bernardino regions also have Community Educators providing support to small-scale farmers. See more information here
To learn more about SGMA in Fresno and Madera counties, contact Erik Rodriguez
erdrodriguez@ucanr.edu
(559) 519-9524
References
Underrepresented Communities, California Tribes and Small Farmers Groundwater Technical Assistance Program
https://water.ca.gov/urctaprogram
UC ANR Small Farms Network
https://ucanr.edu/statewide-program/uc-anr-small-farms-network/groundwater