Abstract
Reducing and reversing current trends of groundwater depletion will require development of resilient systems for groundwater governance. Yet establishment of such systems requires overcoming common conundrums of groundwater governance including: organizing and enhancing governance structures, incorporating diverse interests and uses of groundwater, and using science in-formed adaptive management. In 2014, with passage of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), California implemented a novel approach to groundwater governance. SGMA devolves both authority and responsibility for achieving sustainable groundwater management to the local-level yet includes the threat of state-level intervention when the local-level does not comply with legislative and regulatory requirements. This system of multi-level governance seeks to balance preferences for local-level control with the need to address groundwater use and impacts at the basin-level. This chapter reviews the groundwater management in California leading up to SGMA, describes the approach to groundwater governance set forth in SGMA, and provides an initial assessment of the early stages of implementation of SGMA. In doing so, the chapter situates SGMA in the theoretical literature on groundwater governance. Lastly, this chapter provides insights as to the factors that may make the approach adopted by SGMA effective, if such a system is to be adopted elsewhere.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Alley, W. M., & Alley, R. (2017). High and dry: Meeting the challenges of the world’s growing dependence on groundwater. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
Alley, W. M., Reilly, T. E., & Franke, O. L. (1999). Sustainability of ground-water resources. U.S. Geological Survey Circular, 1186, 1–79. Retrieved from https://pubs.usgs.gov/circ/1999/circ1186/pdf/circ1186.pdf
Ashley, J. S., & Smith, Z. A. (1999). Groundwater management in the west. Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press.
Bachman, S., Hauge, C., McGlothlin, R., Neese, K., Parker, T., Saracino, A., & Slater, S. (1997). California groundwater management. Sacramento: Groundwater Resources Association of California.
Blomquist, W. (1992). Dividing the waters: Governing groundwater in Southern California. San Francisco, CA: ICS Press.
Blomquist, W., & Schlager, E. (2005). Political pitfalls of integrated watershed management. Society and Natural Resources, 18(2), 101–117. https://doi.org/10.1080/08941920590894435
Bredehoeft, J. (2005). The conceptualization model problem—Surprise. Hydrogeology Journal, 13(1), 37–46. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10040-004-0430-5
Buizer, J., Jacobs, K., & Cash, D. (2010). Making short-term climate forecasts useful: Linking science and action. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 113(17), 4597–4602. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0900518107
Burke, J. J., Sauveplane, C., & Moench, M. (1999). Groundwater management and socio-economic responses. Natural Resources Forum, 23(4), 303–313. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1477-8947.1999.tb00918.x
Burton, M., & Molden, D. (2005). Making sound decisions: Information needs for basin water management. In M. Svendsen (Ed.), Irrigation and river basin management: Options for governance and institutions (pp. 51–74). Cambridge, MA: CABI Publishing.
Carr, G. (2015). Stakeholder and public participation in river basin management—An introduction. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Water, 2(4), 393–405. https://doi.org/10.1002/wat2.1086
Castilla-Rho, J. C., Rojas, R., Anderson, M. S., Holley, C., & Mariethoz, G. (2019). Sustainable groundwater management: How long and what will it take? Global Environmental Change, 58, 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2019.101972
Chermak, J. M., Patrick, R. H., & Brookshire, D. S. (2005). Economics of transboundary aquifer management. Groundwater, 43(5), 731–736. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-6584.2005.00070.x
Clark, R. E. (1978). Intitutional alternatives for managing groundwater resources: Notes for a proposal. Natural Resources Journal, 18(1), 153–161. Retrieved from https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/nrj/vol18/iss1/13
Clarvis, M. H., Allen, A., & Hannah, D. H. (2014). Water, resilience and the law: From general concepts and governance design principles to actionable mechanisms. Environmental Science and Policy, 43, 98–110. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2013.10.005
Cleaver, F. (2017). Development through bricolage: Rethinking institutions for natural resource management. New York, NY: Routledge.
Conrad, E., Moran, T., DuPraw, M. E., Ceppos, D., Martinez, J., & Blomquist, W. (2018). Diverse stakeholders create collaborative, multilevel basin governance for groundwater sustainability. California Agriculture, 72(1), 44–53. https://doi.org/10.3733/ca.2018a0002
Davidson, S. L., & de Loë, R. C. (2014). Watershed governance: Transcending boundaries. Water Alternatives, 7(2), 367–387. Retrieved from https://doaj.org/article/b090cbf7ecb74c8cbea4094d9c4a5e12
Department of Water Resources (DWR). (2013). Previous updates: Update 2013. Retrieved from https://water.ca.gov/Programs/California-Water-Plan/Water-Plan-Updates
Department of Water Resources (DWR). (2016a). Bulletin 118: Interim update 2016. Retrieved from https://water.ca.gov/Programs/Groundwater-Management/Bulletin-118
Department of Water Resources (DWR). (2016b). Groundwater sustainability plan (GSP) emergency regulations guide. Sacramento, CA: Department of Water Resources.
Department of Water Resources (DWR). (2018a). California water plan: Water plan update. Retrieved from https://water.ca.gov/Programs/California-Water-Plan
Department of Water Resources (DWR). (2018b). Assistance and engagement. Retrieved from https://water.ca.gov/Programs/Groundwater-Management/Assistance-and-Engagement
Department of Water Resources (DWR). (2019a). Non-SGMA groundwater management. Retrieved from https://water.ca.gov/Programs/Groundwater-Management/Non-SGMA-Groundwater-Management
Department of Water Resources (DWR). (2019b). Sustainable groundwater planning grant program. Retrieved from https://water.ca.gov/Work-With-Us/Grants-And-Loans/Sustainable-Groundwater
Department of Water Resources (DWR). (2019c). Wells. Retrieved from https://water.ca.gov/Programs/Groundwater-Management/Wells
DiMento, J. F. (2017). The shape of groundwater law: California’s new sustainability act. Journal of the Southwest, 59(1), 364–393. https://doi.org/10.1353/jsw.2017.0016
Doremus, H., & Hanemann, M. (2008). The challenges of dynamic water management in the American west. UCLA Journal of Environmental Law and Policy, 26(1), 55–75. Retrieved from https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4qh0j8v6
Ebdon, C. (2002). Beyond the public hearing: Citizen participation in the local government budget process. Journal of Public Budgeting, Accounting & Financial Management, 14(2), 273–294. https://doi.org/10.1108/JPBAFM-14-02-2002-B006
Famiglietti, J. S. (2014). The global groundwater crisis. Nature Climate Change, 4(11), 945–948. https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate2425
Foster, S., Chilton, J., Nijsten, G.-J., & Richts, A. (2013). Groundwater: A global focus on the ‘local resource’. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, 5(6), 685–695. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cosust.2013.10.010
Foster, S., Garduño, H., Tuinhof, A., & Tovey, C. (2009). Groundwater governance: Conceptual framework for assessment of provisions and needs [PDF file]. Retrieved from https://www.gwp.org/globalassets/global/toolbox/references/groundwater-governance-conceptual-framework-for-assessment-of-provisions-and-needs-gw-mate-2009.pdf
Grabert, V. K., & Narasimhan, T. (2006). California’s evolution toward integrated regional water management: A long-term view. Hydrogeology Journal, 14(3), 407–423. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10040-005-0005-0
Hanak, E. (2011). Managing California’s water: From conflict to reconciliation. San Francisco, CA: Public Policy Institute of California.
Hoogesteger, J., & Wester, P. (2015). Intensive groundwater use and (in)equity: Processes and governance challenges. Environmental Science and Policy, 51, 117–124. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2015.04.004
Hugman, R., Stigter, T. Y., & Monteiro, J. P. (2013). The importance of temporal scale when optimising abstraction volumes for sustainable aquifer exploitation: A case study in semi-arid South Portugal. Journal of Hydrology, 490, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2013.02.053
Huitema, D., & Meijerink, S. (2010). Realizing water transitions: The role of policy entrepreneurs in water policy change. Ecology and Society, 15(2), 26. https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-03488-150226
Jacobs, K., Lebel, L., Buizer, J., Addams, L., Matson, P., Mccullough, E., … Finan, T. (2010). Linking knowledge with action in the pursuit of sustainable water-resources management. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 113(17), 4591–4596. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0813125107
Kiparsky, M., Owen, D., Nylen, N. G., Juliet, C. -S., Cosens, B., Doremus, H. … Milman, A. (2016). Designing effective groundwater sustainability agencies: Criteria for evaluation of local governance options [PDF file]. Retrieved from https://www.law.berkeley.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/CLEE_GroundwaterGovernance_2016-03-08.pdf
Knüppe, K., & Pahl-Wostl, C. (2011). A framework for the analysis of governance structures applying to groundwater resources and the requirements for the sustainable management of associated ecosystem services. Water Resources Management, 25(13), 3387–3411. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11269-011-9861-7
Konikow, L. F., & Kendy, E. (2005). Groundwater depletion: A global problem. Hydrogeology Journal, 13(1), 317–320. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10040-004-0411-8
Koontz, T. M., & Johnson, E. M. (2004). One size does not fit all: Matching breadth of stakeholder participation to watershed group accomplishments. Policy Sciences, 37(2), 185–204. https://doi.org/10.1023/B:OLIC.0000048532.94150.07
Koontz, T. M., & Newig, J. (2014). From planning to implementation: Top-down and bottom-up approaches for collaborative watershed management. Policy Studies Journal, 42(3), 416–442. https://doi.org/10.1111/psj.12067
Krane, D., Rigos, P. N., & Hill, M. (2001). Home rule in America: A fifty-state handbook. Washington, DC: CQ Press.
Larson, A. M., & Soto, F. (2008). Decentralization of natural resource governance regimes. Annual Review of Environment and Resources, 33, 213–239. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.environ.33.020607.095522
Leahy, T. C. (2015). Desperate times call for sensible measures: The making of the California sustainable groundwater management act. Golden Gate University Environmental Law Journal, 9(1), 5–40. Retrieved from https://digitalcommons.law.ggu.edu/gguelj/vol9/iss1/4
Lebel, L., Po, G., & Masao, I. (2005). The politics of scale, position, and place in the governance of water resources in the Mekong region. Ecology and Society, 10(2), 18. https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-01543-100218
Lemos, M. C., & Agrawal, A. (2006). Environmental governance. Annual Review of Environment and Resources, 31, 297–329. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.energy.31.042605.135621
Littleworth, A. L., & Garner, E. L. (2019). California water. Point Arena, CA: Solano Press Books.
Margat, J., & van der Gun, J. (2013). Groundwater around the world: A geographic synopsis. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.
Megdal, S. B., Gerlak, A. K., Varady, R. G., & Huang, L. (2015). Groundwater governance in the United States: Common priorities and challenges. Groundwater, 53(5), 677–684. https://doi.org/10.1111/gwat.12294
Merry, D., & Cook, S. E. (2012). Fostering institutional creativity at multiple levels: Towards facilitated institutional bricolage. Water Alternatives, 5(1), 1–19. Retrieved from https://doaj.org/article/0559759c5b1c4535ab783c59017bfaad
Milman, A., Galindo, L., Blomquist, W., & Conrad, E. (2018). Establishment of agencies for local groundwater governance under California’s sustainable groundwater management act. Water Alternatives, 11(3), 458–480. Retrieved from https://doaj.org/article/01850a368d97469fb776317e088c5068
Milman, A., & Scott, C. A. (2010). Beneath the surface: Intranational institutions and management of the United States—Mexico transboundary Santa Cruz aquifer. Environment and Planning C: Government and Policy, 28(3), 528–551. https://doi.org/10.1068/c0991
Moench, M. (2004). Groundwater: The challenge of monitoring and management. In P. Gleick (Ed.), The world’s water (pp. 79–100). Washington, DC: Island Press.
Molle, F., & Closas, A. (2017). Groundwater governance: A synthesis. [Project report of the groundwater governance in the Arab world—Taking stock and addressing the challenges] [PDF file]. Retrieved from http://publications.iwmi.org/pdf/H048392.pdf
Molle, F., López-Gunn, E., & van Steenbergen, F. (2018). The local and national politics of groundwater overexploitation. Water Alternatives, 11(3), 445–864. Retrieved from https://doaj.org/article/fc8965953b5b4fbcb2ed939737bff912
Moran, T., Cravens, A., Martinez, J., & Szeptycki, L. (2016). From the ground down: Understanding local groundwater data collection and sharing practices in California [PDF file]. Retrieved from https://waterinthewest.stanford.edu/sites/default/files/GW-DataSurveyReport.pdf
Moran, T., & Wendell, D. (2015). The Sustainable Groundwater Management Act of 2014: Challenges and opportunities for implementation [PDF file]. Retrieved from https://localwitw.stanford.edu/sites/default/files/WitW_SGMA_Report_08242015_0.pdf
Mukherji, A., & Shah, T. (2005). Groundwater socio-ecology and governance: A review of institutions and policies in selected countries. Hydrogeology Journal, 13(1), 328–345. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10040-005-0434-9
Nabatchi, T., & Amsler, L. B. (2014). Direct public engagement in local government. The American Review of Public Administration, 44(4), 63–88. https://doi.org/10.1177/0275074013519702
Nelson, R. L. (2012). Assessing local planning to control groundwater depletion: California as a microcosm of global issues. Water Resources Research, 48(1), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1029/2011WR010927
Olsson, J. A., & Andersson, L. (2007). Possibilities and problems with the use of models as a communication tool in water resource management. Water Resources Management, 21(1), 97–110. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11269-006-9043-1
Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). (2015). Principles on water governance [PDF file]. Retrieved from https://www.oecd.org/cfe/regional-policy/OECD-Principles-on-Water-Governance.pdf
Ostrom, E. (1990). Governing the commons: The evolution of institutions for collective action. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
Plummer, R. & Baird, J. (Eds.). (this volume). The emergence of water resilience: An introduction. In Water resilience: Management and governance in times of change, Cham, Switzerland: Springer.
Plummer, R., Baird, J., More, M. L., Brandes, O., Imhof, J., & Krievins, K. (2014). Governance of aquatic systems: What attributes and practices promote resilience? International Journal of Water Governance, 4, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.7564/14-IJWG51
Rockström, J., Falkenmark, M., Allan, T., Folke, C., Gordon, L., Jägerskog, A., … Varis, O. (2014). The unfolding water drama in the Anthropocene: Towards a resilience-based perspective on water for global sustainability. Ecohydrology, 7(5), 1249–1261. https://doi.org/10.1002/eco.1562
Rodina, L. (2019). Defining “water resilience”: Debates, concepts, approaches, and gaps. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Water, 6(2), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1002/wat2.1334
Sagala, J. K., & Smith, Z. A. (2008). Comparative groundwater management: Findings from an exploratory global survey. Water International, 33(2), 258–267. https://doi.org/10.1080/02508060802027182
Siebert, S., Burke, J., Faures, J.-M., Frenken, K., Hoogeveen, J., Döll, P., & Portmann, F. T. (2010). Groundwater use for irrigation–a global inventory. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, 14(1), 1863–1880. https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-14-1863-2010
State of California. (2014). California water code [CWC]. Division 6, part 2.74. California: Sustainable Groundwater Management Sacramento.
Theesfeld, I. (2010). Institutional challenges for national groundwater governance: Policies and issues. Ground Water, 48(1), 131–142. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-6584.2009.00624
Thomas, B., & Gibbons, A. (2018). Sustainable water resources management: Groundwater depletion. In R. Brinkman & S. Garren (Eds.), The palgrave handbook of sustainability: Case studies and practical solutions (pp. 53–77). Cham, Switzerland: Springer.
Tracy, J., Johnson, J., Konikow, L., Miller, G., Porter, D. O., Sheng, Z., & Sibray, S. (2019). Aquifer depletion and potential impacts on long-term irrigated agricultural productivity. Council for Agricultural Science and Technology, 63, 1–20. Retrieved from https://www.cast-science.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/CAST-IP63-Aquifer-Depletion.pdf
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), & Books, B. (2003). Water for people, water for life: A joint report by the twenty-three UN agencies concerned with freshwater. New York, NY: Berghahn Books.
van der Gun, J. (2017). Data, information, knowledge and diagnostics on groundwater. In K. G. Villholth, E. Lopez-Gunn, K. Conti, A. Garrido, & J. van der Gun (Eds.), Advances in groundwater governance (pp. 193–213). Leiden, Netherlands: CRC Press.
Varady, R., Zuniga-Teran, A., Gerlak, A., & Megdal, S. (2016). Modes and approaches of groundwater governance: A survey of lessons learned from selected cases across the globe. Water, 8(10), 1–24. https://doi.org/10.3390/w8100417
Wada, Y., van Beek, L. P. H., van Kempen, C. M., Reckman, J. W. T. M., Vasak, S., & Bierkens, M. F. P. (2010). Global depletion of groundwater resources. Geophysical Research Letters, 37(20), 1–5. https://doi.org/10.1029/2010GL044571
Acknowledgements
We are grateful to the many individuals involved in the implementation of SGMA who spoke with us as part of this research. We would also like to thank Tara Moran and Michael Kiparsky for their insights and input. This chapter is based upon work supported in part by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 1824066. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this paper are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2021 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Roberts, M., Milman, A., Blomquist, W. (2021). The Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA): California’s Prescription for Common Challenges of Groundwater Governance. In: Baird, J., Plummer, R. (eds) Water Resilience. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-48110-0_3
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-48110-0_3
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-48109-4
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-48110-0
eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental ScienceEarth and Environmental Science (R0)