State Water Resources Control Board members from left: Sean Maguire, Laurel Firestone, Dorene D'Adamo, Nichole Morgan, and board chair E. Joaquin Esquivel. (Archive Photo: Natalie Willis/Valley Ag Voice) 

By Natalie Willis, Reporter, Valley Ag Voice

In December, the Kern County Subbasin Groundwater Sustainability Agencies finalized and approved a coordinated, amended Groundwater Sustainability Plan ahead of the Kern Subbasin’s probationary hearing on Feb. 20, 2025.

The amended GSP is endorsed by all 20 GSAs within the subbasin, incorporating feedback from the State Water Resources Control Board staff and public comments. According to a press release from the Kern County Water Agency, the plan includes extensive improvements in technical areas such as water quality and subsidence monitoring.

“We are very well-coordinated and worked together to address all deficiencies identified by the State, and I am extremely pleased with the collaborative approach that produced this unified plan,” Derek Yurosek, chair of the Coordination Committee for Kern County Subbasin said in the release.

The adopted plan — which was initially drafted in May 2024 — addresses the deficiencies identified by the California Department of Water Resources and the State Water Resources Control Board.

2024 GSP TIMELINE

In July 2024, Water Board staff released a draft staff report recommending the Board designate the Kern Subbasin as probationary due to concerns over the inadequate 2022 GSP. However, this draft report on the 2022 plan was released after Kern GSAs submitted a revised 2024 plan in May.

A public workshop on Aug. 29 proceeded with the review of the old 2022 plan with SWB staff explaining that deficiencies remained in the 2024 plan which may further impact groundwater users.

“Any delay could further impact groundwater users in the basin if the basin is not guided back on track,” Jeevan Jayakody, senior engineering geologist with SWB’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Office said. “Because the deficiencies observed in new draft plans are similar to those identified in 2022 plans, the draft staff report is still relevant to getting the basin back on track.”

Jayakody explained that the final staff report and recommendation would be updated based on public comments which closed on Sept. 23. A final staff report has not been released.

LONG-TERM SUSTAINABILITY

The revised 2024 Plan addresses three key deficiencies — the lack of consistent Undesirable Results for the entire basin, and failure to meet the Sustainable Management Criteria for the chronic lowering of groundwater levels and land subsidence.

GSAs also developed the new plan with current data and information, making revisions to address feedback during technical meetings with Water Board staff, workshops, the draft staff report, and other comments within DWR’s determination letter.

The subbasin’s sustainability goal is to ensure continued sustainable groundwater management over the next 20 years. According to the GSP, to meet this objective, the subbasin will seek to halt the persistent decline in groundwater levels caused by overdraft and avoid Undesirable Results for groundwater levels, storage, land subsidence, and water quality.

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