Mid -Kaweah
GSA
Groundwater
Sustainability
Update
A genda
• S GM A B ackground
• 2020 Groundwater Sustainability
Plan (Inadequate)
• 2022 First Amended GSP
• Department of Water Resources
Inadequate Determination & S tate
W ater R esources Control B oard
Probation Process
• Kaweah Subbasin Technical Team
• Kaweah S ubbas in Technical W ork:
Groundwater Levels and Subsidence
• 2024 Seconded Amended GS P
2 Sustainable Groundwater
Management A ct (SGMA )
B ack ground
• SGMA 2014
• R esponse to ongoing drought conditions
• Critically Overdrafted Basi n s – Sustainable
by 2040
• Must avoid Undesirable Results
• M us t form Groundwater S us tainability
Agencies (GSA)
• Powers Granted to GSAs
• Conduct S tudies
• M easure/M onitor Groundwater
• M anage Extractions
• Assess Fees
3 3
2020 MKGSA
Groundwater
Sustainability Pla n
2020 MKGSA GSP
• 2020 GSP was submitted in January 2020 – Ca. Depart. Of Water Resources (DWR) was given 2 years to review plan
• January 2020 – M KGS A notified that GS P was “ Incomplete” • M KGS A (and other Kaweah S ubbas in GS As ) had 180 -days to revise GSP • Three Areas of concern:
• Sustainable Management Criteria (S M Cs ) for Groundw ater Levels • SMCs for Su b si d en ce
• SMCc for Interconnected Surface Water (not in MKGSA) • Kaweah S ubbas in worked as fast as pos s ible and s ubmitted MKGSA Firs t Amended GSP in July 2022
5 2022 MKGSA First
A mended GSP -
Inadequate
• Early 2023 Inadequate
• Process moves from DWR to the
S tate W ater R esources Control
B oard (S W R CB )
• Probation
• Notice to Growers
• Public Hearing in November 2024
• Probation – 1 year of data collection
• Interim GS P put in Place until
S ubbas in is put back in local control
Kaweah Subbasin Technical Team
8 The Water Level Core Team includes
technical consultants from all three GSAs.
Have been meeting weekly+ to develop coordinated
methodology, analyses, and reviews.
EKGSA Tech
Consultants &
Staff
GKGSA Tech
Consultants &
Staff
MKGSA Tech
Consultants &
Staff
Water Level
Core Team
Subsidence
Core Team
EKGSA
TAC & AC
GKGSA
AC
MKGSA
AC
Kaweah Subbasin Technical Work
Groundwater Levels and Subsidence
WATER RESOURCES SERVICES
Impacts to
beneficial
users, uses,
and property
interests
Stakeholder Input
Mitigation
Management
Actions
Projects
10 Significant and Unreasonable Effects:
The tipping point at which the groundwater conditions
throughout the Subbasin cause impacts to beneficial
uses, users, land uses and property interests that cannot be sustained or mitigated.
11 Identify Protective Threshold (PT)
Prepare Initial Dry Well Susceptibility Analysis
(DWSA)
Evaluate count of wells potentially impacted at
Fall 2022, pre-SGMA, and prior MT water level
surfaces
Evaluate DWSA under incrementally different
water level surface scenarios
Identify storage and hard/soft mitigation costs
associated with these scenarios
Identify Mitigation Funding Commitment &
Mechanism
Identify coordinated recommendation for MT
water level surface
Dry Well
Susceptibility
Analysis
Process
We are here
Requires robust stakeholder
engagement and analysis iterations
12 114 133 138 142 144 146 148
300
230
338 356 380 405 427 453
721
121
171 182 194 207 212 214
202
0 200
400
600
800
1000
1200
1400
2022 5x 6x 7x 8x 9x 10x Prior MT
Count of Domestic Wells Potentially Impacted by
Scenario
EKGSA GKGSA MKGSA
VERSION 3 (CURRENT)VERSION 1
DOMESTIC
WELLS
Scenarios 7x-10x result in
a well impact count
increase for MKGSA when
compared to Version 1
13 5x
Groundwater level
decline based on
annual rate (1x)
multiplied by 5 years
*This groundwater
level surface being
generated by the
annual rate (1x)
multiplied by 5 years
does NOT suggest a
ramp down of 5-years.
Instead, this is an
informational tool to
consider potential
impacts under
different water level
surface scenarios.
14 10x
Groundwater level
decline based on
annual rate
multiplied by 10
years
*This groundwater
level surface being
generated by the
annual rate (1x)
multiplied by 10
years does NOT
suggest a ramp down
of 10 years.
Instead, this is an
informational tool to
consider potential
impacts under
different water level
surface scenarios.
Well Mitigation
Funding
15 MKGSA must provide funds to mitigate for domestic
dry wells
Initial funding proposal by MKGSA under the
Emergency Ordinance did not envision well
mitigation
Well Mitigation – allows for the continued lowering
of groundwater levels and continuance of
agricultural utilization of groundwater in a
conjunctive fashion
MKGSA Staff has developed a
Reserve Policy to
allocate excess funds collected through Emergency
Ordinance to be put into three funds:
1. Emergency Ordinance Admin
2. Surface Water Purchases
3. Mitigation Plan Funding
The State Views Subsidence in the San Juaquin Valley
as a High Priority SGMA Focus
16 Developed Significant and Unreasonable Impacts
17 Infrastructure Notes Data on Impacts
Friant-Kern Canal Separated from other canals because of its regional importance beyond the Subbasin
boundaries
Yes
Local Canals Operated by irrigation districts and ditch companies Yes Gravity Pipelines Diversions from the Friant-Kern Canal Yes Supply Wells Look at all wells. Shallow wells and deep wells have different impacts Yes
Flood Control Includes levees and large rivers Estimates Roads and Bridges No
Electrical Power Lines No
Sanitary Sewers No
Gas and Water Pipelines No
Railroad Tracks No
Subsidence is Caused by Low Groundwater Levels and is Irreversible 18 Groundwater is pumped
from the sands and
gravels, lowering the
pressure
The low pressure pulls
water out of the clay beds
As clays collapse, the
land subsides over LONG
time periods
No New Subsidence: Example Lower Aquifer Hydrograph
19 0
20 40
60 80
100
120
140
160
180
200
3/1/1992 3/1/1997 3/1/2002 3/1/2007 3/1/2012 3/1/2017 3/1/2022 Groundwater Level
Deep Well #1
Historical Low
on 10/1/2022
Historical Low
on 10/1/2022
Fall 2023 was 23
feet above
historical low
Example to Show Residual Subsidence Can be Reduced
20 Immediate Projects and Management Actions
21 • Develop regional agreement that states minimizing subsidence requires keeping groundwater levels above historical lows
o Include Greater Kaweah GSA and East Kaweah GSA
o Include neighboring subbasins to the degree possible
• Re-allocate surface water to areas susceptible to subsidence • Move Deep Aquifer pumping to Shallow Aquifer
o Seal deep aquifer portion of well and pump from shallow aquifer o Drill new shallow well
• Deep Aquifer allocation with pumping limit
Longer-Term Projects and Management Actions
22 • Develop a groundwater bank in area not impacted by subsidence o Recovered water delivered to areas within MKGSA experiencing subsidence
• Inject surface water into the deeper aquifers when excess water is available
2024 Seconded A mended MK GSA GSP
Schedule
• Revised Upper Aquifer Water
Level MT presented to
Stakeholder Advisory
Committees
• Revised Subsidence & Lower
Aquifer Water Level SMCs and
Upper Aquifer SMCs presented to
Stakeholder Advisory
Committees
• Dry Well Susceptibility Workshop
with drinking water and
groundwater-dependent grower
advocacy groups (Part 2)
• Model updated with projected
water levels/subsidence to
demonstrate feasibility of revised
SMCs (to include scenarios with
projects & management actions)
• GSAs incorporate edits from
workshops and Stakeholder
Advisory Committee Meetings
• GSAs adopt revised Mitigation
Program and Mitigation Plans
contingent on legal coordination
between SHE and GSAs
• GSAs develop Public Draft
Amended GSPs for Stakeholder
Advisory Committees and GSA
Boards to review (2-week period).
• GSAs incorporate edits on SMCs
from Stakeholder Advisory
Committee Reviews.
• Public workshops held in
underrepresented communities
regarding the Mitigation Program
& revisions to GSPs
• GSA Boards approve release of
Public Draft Amended GSPs
• 30-day Draft Amended GSP
Public Comment Period Begins
• End of 30-day Draft Amended
GSP Public Comment Period
• Incorporate edits from public
comment period and prepare
final Amended GSPs
• GSAs hold Public Hearings to
adopt Amended GSPs
• GSAs submit adopted Amended
GSPs to DWR’s SGMA portal
• GSAs hold continued, regular
public outreach regarding revised
GSP, Mitigation Program/Plans
• GSAs continue revisions to the
model and interconnected
surface water SMCs
• GSAs design Well Registration
Program and identify needs for
well canvass
• GSAs hold continued, regular
public outreach regarding revised
GSP, Mitigation Program/Plans
• GSAs continue revisions to the
model and interconnected
surface water SMCs
• GSAs design Well Registration
Program and identify needs for
well canvass
• GSAs hold continued, regular
public outreach regarding revised
GSP, Mitigation Program/Plans
• GSAs continue revisions to the
model and interconnected
surface water SMCs
• GSAs prepare for Well
Registration Program and Well
Canvass
May be shifted one-month based on status of
stakeholder engagement process.
Thank
you
Aaron Fukuda
559-686-3425
[email protected]
www.mi d kaweah.org