SGMA Key Terms
Chronic lowering of groundwater levels and supply, significant and unreasonable reduction of groundwater storage, significant and unreasonable seawater intrusion, significant and unreasonable degraded water quality, significant and unreasonable land subsidence, depletion of interconnected surface water that have adverse impacts on beneficial uses of surface water
Defined by SGMA as management and use of groundwater in a manner that can be maintained during the planning and implementation horizon without causing undesirable results.
Maximum quantity of water, calculated over a base period representative of long-term conditions in the basin and including any temporary surplus, that can be withdrawn annually from a groundwater supply without causing an undesirable result.
Any of the effects caused by groundwater conditions occurring throughout the basin that, when significant and unreasonable, cause undesirable results. SGMA identifies 6 sustainability indicators. Seawater intrusion is not applicable to the Kings Subbasin. The SGMA sustainability indicators are:
Existence and implementation of one or more Groundwater Sustainability Plans that achieve sustainable groundwater management by identifying and causing the implementation of measures targeted to ensure operation within sustainable yield.
A numeric value for each sustainability indicator used to define undesirable results.
Refers to specific, quantifiable goals for the maintenance or improvement of specified groundwater conditions that have been included in an adopted Plan to achieve the sustainability goal for the basin.
A model that utilizes current and historical data to forecast future groundwater conditions.
A roadmap that specifies how the GSA will reach subbasin-wide sustainability. The GSP requires, among additional elements, a description of the Plan area, a hydrogeologic conceptual model, sustainability goals and objectives, a monitoring network, and projects and management actions to achieve the sustainability goal of the subbasin. In high- to medium- priority subbasins with critically overdrafted conditions, GSP’s must be submitted to the CA Department of Water Resources by January 2020.
A well owner who extracts two acre-feet or less per year from a parcel for domestic purposes.
A legal agreement adopted between two or more Groundwater Sustainability Agencies that provides the basis for coordinating multiple Groundwater Sustainability Plans within a basin.
Information about the physical setting, characteristics, and current conditions of the basin.