Water is high on everyone’s mind today with impending storms that may provide some relief to one of California’s most intense droughts in decades. This winter season is off to a wet start; however, water supply issues will likely linger long into the future. Groundwater management in California is something of a gold-rush era legacy, with most regulation pushed down to the local level and little state oversight. As a shared and scarce resource, state legislators are now recognizing the need for better groundwater regulations. A new law was signed by Governor Jerry Brown on September 16, 2014. 

This new law, which consists of three bills (AB 1739, SB 1168, and SB 1319) is aimed to sustainably manage California groundwater resources. Under the new law, local agencies with overdrafted or rapidly-depleting groundwater basins are required to prepare and implement a groundwater sustainability plan.The law does not take away local authority over groundwater withdrawals but does allow the State Water Board to intervene if local regulations and implementation are not adequate. 

For more about this law, take a look at the following article.