Kern County water officials are working to revise their groundwater sustainability plans by June 20 to avoid state intervention and meet long-term goals.
- Kern County’s groundwater basin is severely overdrafted, prompting urgent revisions to sustainability plans.
- Local agencies are collaborating to avoid state-imposed probation under the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA).
- Key focus areas include improving groundwater monitoring, water levels, and water quality.
- Agencies have until June 20 to submit revised plans, with a state hearing scheduled for September 17.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
As we’ve been reporting, the Kern groundwater subbasin could be put under probation. On Thursday, local water officials met to discuss how to fix the problem.
The Kern River Groundwater Sustainability Agency is just one of 20 GSAs (Groundwater Sustainability Agencies) in the Kern County subbasin. They are working with the Kern County Water Agency, Kern Delta Water District, the City of Bakersfield, and many others to keep the Kern subbasin from going into probation under the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act…