Groundwater Sustainability Planning and Implementation
California’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) requires all groundwater basins designated as medium- or high-priority to develop a Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP) to achieve sustainable management between 2040 and 2042. Dudek has been on the leading edge of GSP development, having prepared seven GSPs, three of which have already been approved by the California Department of Water Resources (DWR).
GSP Experience
- Oxnard Subbasin GSP (Approved)
- Pleasant Valley Basin GSP (Approved)
- Las Posas Valley Basin GSP (Approved)
- Santa Monica Subbasin GSP (Submitted)
- Yucaipa Basin GSP (Submitted)
- Borrego Valley GSP (Submitted)
- Montecito Basin GSP (Preparing)
- San Jacinto Basin GSP (Submitted)
Leading-Edge GSP Development
Dudek was among the first in the state to assist with GSP preparation, leading GSP development for the Fox Canyon Groundwater Management Agency in Ventura, as well as the County of San Diego and Borrego Valley Water District. The three plans submitted for the Fox Canyon Groundwater Management Agency were approved by DWR in January 2022 and were three of the eight plans approved. The GSP we prepared for the Borrego Valley Water District formed the technical underpinning for the first post-SGMA adjudication in California. Since crafting these early plans, Dudek has also prepared GSPs for five other groundwater basins throughout California.
Groundwater Sustainability Plan Implementation
GSP preparation was just the first step in reaching sustainability; groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSA) now face interdisciplinary challenges to implement these plans. We offer integrated services for successfully implementing GSPs including project design and analysis, stakeholder engagement and facilitation services, annual report preparation, numerical groundwater modeling assessments, climate change analysis, and grant writing support. Our hydrogeologists, planners, and engineers stay informed on state-level planning discussions and keep our clients informed of new legislation and regulations that may impact their groundwater management strategies.
Ensuring All Voices are Heard during GSP Development
Dudek supports our clients’ efforts to ensure that groundwater sustainability planning includes all stakeholders and ensures equitable consideration of disadvantaged communities, environmental communities, tribal governments and communities, small farmers, and all stakeholders that have not traditionally been included in water planning decisions that impact them. We are currently assisting the Department of Water Resources in implementing the Proposition 68 eligible needs, risk, and vulnerability assessments. This project will generate preliminary engineering reports that address the groundwater needs, risks, and vulnerabilities of these communities as described and documented by the community members themselves through outreach, engagement, and workshops.
What We Do
- Biology
- CEQA/NEPA Documentation
- Document Accessibility
- Document Management
- GIS Data Collection and Management
- Grant Writing and Administration
- Groundwater Supply
- Land Use and Community Planning
- Stakeholder Engagement
- Technical Visual Storytelling
- Water Supply Planning
- Water Infrastructure and Treatment Design
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