In response to California’s recent drought conditions and increased reliance upon groundwater, in November 2014, the state legislature passed the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (“SGMA”) collectively contained in Senate Bill’s (SB) 1168 and SB 1319, and Assembly Bill (AB) 1739. The SGMA mandates that groundwater basins designated by Department of Water Resources as high or medium priority develop groundwater sustainability plans (“GSP”) to become sustainable. The Kern Sub-unit of the Tulare Lake Basin, overlying the valley portion of Kern County, is designated as high priority. The development of the GSP is to occur through one or more local public agencies that has water supply, water management or land use responsibilities within a groundwater basin.

With passage of the SGMA, KNDLA seeks to coordinate local groundwater management efforts and is working with its members to determine the most effective way of meeting the requirements of the SGMA.

The intent of the Members is that the Authority will offer GSP coverage for Non-districted Land and, in some cases, offer regulatory authority to certain Members for Outside Member Land, through a grant of jurisdiction from KCWA, to maintain GSA and GSP coverage of the entire Kem County Subbasin and to avoid a probationary determination for the Kem County Subbasin by the State Board due to an adverse finding under Water Code section 10735.2(a)(2).