California Water News Daily Your Source For Water News in California
The Department of Water Resources (DWR) announced last week the approval of groundwater sustainability plans for four groundwater basins – Napa Valley Subbasin in Napa County, as well as Santa Rosa Plain Subbasin, Petaluma Valley Basin, and Sonoma Valley Subbasin in Sonoma County.
The plans approved for the four Northern California basins are among 65 plans submitted to DWR in January 2022. DWR has until January 2024 to review the remaining plans. Results of the evaluations will be made available throughout 2023. GSAs implement the plans while DWR completes its review.
Projects and programs to enhance groundwater conditions are actively being planned and put into place in many basins throughout the State. In the four basins in Sonoma and Napa counties with newly approved plans, agencies have been working on alternative water supply projects such as stormwater capture and water use efficiency programs while their plans were evaluated.
In addition to and aligned with plan evaluation, DWR continues to support GSAs by providing planning, technical, and financial assistance. In May 2022, DWR awarded $150 million in grant funding for projects to improve water supply security, water quality and groundwater supply reliability. Last month, DWR also closed the application period for more than $200 million in additional grant funding for SGMA implementation.
