|
Please do not reply directly to this email; for more information or general inquiries, please contact: sgmps@water.ca.gov |
|
|
Here's a preview of what you'll find in this edition of the Newsletter, with full updates below:
|
|
- DWR Seeks Public Comment on Released Draft California’s Groundwater: Bulletin 118 – Update 2025
- DWR Releases Fall Semi-Annual and CalGW Live Updates
- Basin Characterization Exchange: October Recording Available & November Meeting Registration Open
- Groundwater Accounting Platform White Paper Released
|
|
- CalGW Update 2025 Public Webinar: November 4, 2025, 12:00 – 1:00 p.m.
- 5th Biennial Flood-MAR Forum: November 5-6, 2025
- REGISTER NOW for the Fall Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA) Forum: November 19, 2025
|
|
- Update Your GSA and GSP Manager Point of Contact Information in DWR's SGMA Portal
- Groundwater Elevation Monitoring Data Submission Reminder
- Ongoing Improvements to the SGMA Data Viewer
- Dry Domestic Well Tools Available
- Written Translation, Facilitation Support, and Verbal Interpretation Services Available
- Connect With Your DWR Basin Point of Contact
- Groundwater Exchange Shares Information and Resources
|
|
Sustainable Groundwater Management News
|
|
|
DWR released the Draft California’s Groundwater: Bulletin 118 – Update 2025 (CalGW Update 2025) on October 20, 2025, opening a 45-day public comment period. CalGW Update 2025 provides a comprehensive inventory and assessment of available information on the occurrence and nature of groundwater and informs decisions on the protection, use, monitoring and management of the resource. This five-year update builds on the CalGW Update 2020 by integrating data submitted to DWR by local agencies under the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), including information reported in Groundwater Sustainability Plans (GSP), Alternatives to GSPs, annual reports, and other groundwater initiatives. CalGW Update 2025 is part of a comprehensive suite of resources designed to support groundwater understanding and management across the state, including the Semi-Annual Updates, CalGW Live, and the Basin Characterization program.
The draft publication contains a Highlights overview section in English and Spanish and a detailed Statewide Report (Chapters 1 – 6), which features current knowledge of groundwater resources including information on the location, characteristics, use, management status, and conditions of the state’s groundwater. Also included in this draft release is an info-graphic summary of the ten hydrologic regions, showing regional groundwater at a glance (Chapter 7) and some appendices such as findings and recommendations that support the future management and protection of groundwater, a glossary of terms, reference materials, and an update on land subsidence in California. This information can help communities and local water managers work together to find unique ways to manage their groundwater basins for long-term reliability and support actions being implemented as part of Governor Gavin Newsom’s 2020 California Water Resilience Portfolio.
The draft release of CalGW Update 2025 consists of files listed below.
Draft CalGW Update 2025
Public Comment Period
A 45-day public comment period is now open on the Draft CalGW Update 2025. All comments will be reviewed and will provide valuable feedback to DWR to improve the analysis, reporting, and access to California’s groundwater information.
Public comments can be emailed to CalGW@water.ca.gov and will be accepted through Friday, December 5, 2025.
The final version of CalGW Update 2025 is expected to be released in spring 2026.
DWR’s California’s Groundwater: Fall 2025 Semi-Annual Update was also released on October 20, 2025, expanding upon groundwater data released earlier this summer. The report provides a timely overview of statewide groundwater levels, land subsidence, well infrastructure, and the status of California’s groundwater monitoring conditions, helping water managers track short-term trends and make informed decisions that support sustainable groundwater management. The update highlights California’s continued climate variability, with Water Year 2025 experiencing below-average statewide precipitation.
Despite the below average conditions, statewide groundwater levels remained relatively stable compared to recent years, with notable improvements since the severe drought a decade ago. However, active land subsidence continues in the Sacramento River, San Joaquin River, and Tulare Lake hydrologic regions. Well infrastructure data show fewer domestic and irrigation wells were installed in 2025 than in any of the past ten years, and reports of dry wells were the lowest in five years. DWR now operates groundwater monitoring sites equipped with telemetry for real-time data collection. DWR produces Groundwater Updates semi-annually in spring and fall to help State and local agencies make management decisions informed by the latest conditions. These updates will continue to serve as a key resource for groundwater managers as SGMA enters its next phase of implementation.
These semi-annual updates support DWR’s comprehensive California’s Groundwater: Bulletin 118 publication. This suite of reports provides knowledge and understanding about California’s groundwater system that is necessary for State and local agencies to plan and implement management actions that will help to ensure long-term resiliency of the state’s groundwater supply.
DWR’s California’s Groundwater Live (CalGW Live) website was first released in conjunction with the Bulletin 118 – Update 2020 and includes user friendly and interactive content meant to inform the public with the latest groundwater and groundwater-related information. Along with the release of the Draft CalGW Update 2025 and the Fall 2025 Semi-Annual Update, DWR also expanded the content available on the CalGW Live website. New interactive dashboards are included for GSP evaluation status, GSP Monitoring Network specific to groundwater levels, and annual report data submitted by Groundwater Sustainability Agencies. The new annual report dashboards include interactivity and statistics for groundwater recharge, change in groundwater storage, and groundwater extractions.
For general groundwater inquiries, please contact: sgmps@water.ca.gov and for more information on these releases and updates, visit the California’s Groundwater webpage or contact: CalGW@water.ca.gov.
The Basin Characterization Exchange (BCX) convened in October for a presentation by Dr. Graham Fogg (UC Davis), who discussed lessons learned from heterogeneity and groundwater flow modeling. The meeting recording is now available on the BCX Hub.
The next BCX meeting will be held on Monday, November 17, from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. The session will feature a presentation on California’s Groundwater: Bulletin 118 – Update 2025, with a focus on the newly available Basin Characterization content. Visit the webinar event page to register, review the presentation abstract, and learn more about the speakers.
To receive updates on upcoming meetings and registration details, join the BCX listserv or email us at Basin.Characterization@water.ca.gov.
The Basin Characterization Exchange serves as a collaborative forum for the basin characterization community—including federal, state, tribal, and local agencies; consultants; NGOs; academia; and other interested parties—to exchange ideas, share lessons learned, identify guidance needs, and highlight emerging research topics.
Below is a press release that the Department of Water Resources (DWR) is sharing on behalf of the California Water Data Consortium and others, that discusses a white paper written on the Groundwater Accounting Platform. The Platform was developed with financial support from DWR and others:
Open-Source Tools, Shared Success: White Paper Highlights Groundwater Innovation in Action
Six California Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSAs) outline how shared infrastructure, user feedback, and transparent data are turning groundwater management plans into action
Sacramento, CA – The California Water Data Consortium, Environmental Defense Fund, Environmental Science Associates, and Olsson have released a new white paper documenting how the California Department of Water Resources' (DWR) investment in open-source groundwater tools is accelerating implementation of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) across diverse basins in the state.
As GSAs transition from SGMA planning to implementation, they face several common challenges: how to make complex water data accessible to growers, how to build trust while introducing new policies, and how to avoid reinventing tools that other agencies have already developed. “Groundwater Accounting Platform — Real-World Impact from DWR Investment in Open, Scalable SGMA Tools” provides concrete solutions drawn from six diverse pilot deployments spanning different basin types, governance structures, and management priorities.
Real-World Solutions to SGMA Implementation Challenges
The pilots showed how public investment in shared, open-source infrastructure can spark scalable, lasting impact. Through DWR's pilot program, agencies across California configured a single open-source platform to fit their unique needs rather than starting from scratch with their own unique new tool. The white paper features the experiences of the Merced Irrigation-Urban GSA, Merced Subbasin GSA, East Turlock Subbasin GSA, Rosedale-Rio Bravo Water Storage District, Yolo County Flood Control and Water Conservation District, and Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency.
“The Platform integrates key elements of the GSA's programs. It's become a practical, day-to-day system that supports decision-making at all levels, transparency, and strong relationships,” said Mike Tietze, General Manager of East Turlock Subbasin GSA.
Key findings documented in the white paper include:
-
Flexible Tools for Local Priorities: The Platform's modular design enabled agencies to customize for their specific contexts, from evapotranspiration-based tracking to metered data, from well registration modules to Proposition 218 fee calculators and multibenefit land repurposing scenario planning.
-
Growing a Community of Practice: User and advisory groups created forums where agencies troubleshoot policy rollouts, share lessons learned, and build on one another's work—accelerating timelines and avoiding duplicated effort.
-
Enabling Action and Collaboration: By making relevant data accessible and digestible, the Platform helped GSAs move from policymaking to implementing the projects and management actions identified in their Groundwater Sustainability Plans, while fostering more constructive conversations with communities.
-
Unlocking Unexpected Benefits: GSAs discovered creative applications beyond water accounting, including tracking land fallowing and cover crop practices, estimating groundwater use fees, streamlining parcel-based tax assessments, automating well log data extraction, and exploring scenarios for multibenefit land repurposing.
Operational Tools That Build Trust
The white paper outlines how agencies use the Platform not just for water accounting, but also as a tool to build trust with groundwater users and explore policy options. GSAs use the Platform to trial program rules, share them with impacted communities, and refine approaches before full implementation. Several agencies tested specific proposed policy changes with actual data before adoption, identifying and fixing issues early while reducing confusion and improving community engagement.
“This pilot program demonstrated that public investment can spark scalable, lasting impact,” said Hannah Ake, senior program manager at the California Water Data Consortium. “The public-private-nonprofit partnership behind the Platform proved to be an effective model to coordinate state investment with local expertise and private sector technical capacity.”
The Platform is now operational across multiple California basins and generating interest beyond the state, with agencies in Oregon, Nebraska, and Kansas exploring applications for their water challenges. Read the full white paper at groundwateraccounting.org/platform-library.
About the Groundwater Accounting Platform
Developed collaboratively by Environmental Defense Fund, the California Water Data Consortium, Environmental Science Associates, and Olsson, the Groundwater Accounting Platform offers a robust, user-friendly tool for tracking water availability and use with accessible dashboards and workflows, providing water managers, growers, and landowners with essential data down to the parcel level. By integrating information from diverse data sources like satellite imagery, flow meters, and sensor networks, the Platform supports precise water budgeting and scenario planning, helping California’s Groundwater Sustainability Agencies and other partners plan and respond to fluctuating water conditions.
Points of Contact
|
|
|
DWR will present an overview of the Draft CalGW Update 2025 at a public virtual webinar meeting on Tuesday, November 4, 2025, from noon to 1:00 p.m. Please register for the public webinar, here.
A fact sheet on the CalGW Update 2025 and the public review process is available in English and Spanish.
The Flood-MAR Network invites you to the 5th biennial Flood-MAR Forum, California’s leading event on the use of floodwaters for managed aquifer recharge. The forum will be held November 5–6, 2025 at the Harper Alumni Center, Sacramento State University. The forum program is guided by the theme “Grounded in Success, Growing Toward the Future” and will bring together state leaders, local water managers, researchers, growers, NGOs, and other interested parties to reflect on progress and shape the next chapter of Flood-MAR in California.
What to expect:
- Presentations from leading experts
- Interactive panels and breakout sessions
- Showcases of innovative tools and practices
- Networking reception and breaks
Registration is OPEN: https://cvent.me/7MBr32
Sponsorship opportunities are available: https://cvent.me/qDW0Vy
DWR’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Office invites you to join your fellow GSAs at the Fall GSA Forum—hosted virtually on November 19, 2025. This venue is for GSA board members, staff, and representatives. The GSA Forum is a place for you to come together and exchange ideas on topics related to groundwater sustainability plan implementation, highlight various GSA efforts, foster professional networks, and provide an opportunity for DWR staff to identify high-priority GSA needs.
The theme of the Fall GSA Forum is “SGMA After 10 Years – How to Keep the Momentum Going.” The event is structured around three key modules: GSA onboarding, Projects and Management Actions, and Periodic Evaluations. There will be candid conversations with fellow GSAs, focused on how they have been navigating and overcoming various SGMA implementation challenges. These conversations will highlight case studies, illustrate best practices, provide resources, while encouraging collaborations and novel partnerships. Alex Rabidoux, Assistant General Manager, Solano County Water Agency, Solano Subbasin GSA will join us for a conversation regarding GSA onboarding and Lacey McBride, Water Resources Manager, Merced County, Merced County GSA will join us to talk about projects and management actions. The event will also include DWR informational sessions and breakout rooms to allow attendees to share experiences and resources.
We hope you join us at this event. Preview the agenda and register here.
|
|
|
If your GSA and/or GSP Plan Manager Point of Contact (POC) is not current, or you are not sure, please visit the SGMA Portal to ensure that your contact information is up-to-date. When logged in, the Portal allows edits to be made to previously submitted contact information.
If you have SGMA Portal questions, please email them to GSPSubmittal@water.ca.gov.
California Statewide Groundwater Elevation Monitoring (CASGEM) Program Monitoring Entities (MEs) and GSAs are required to collect groundwater elevation measurements from their monitoring networks and submit the information to DWR. Please be sure to submit all monitoring data for fall 2025 to the CASGEM Online System or the SGMA Portal’s Monitoring Network Module (MNM).
As a reminder, following the submittal of a GSP to the DWR, CASGEM MEs are no longer required to report seasonal groundwater elevation readings to the CASGEM Online System. Instead, GSAs will be responsible for submitting groundwater elevations to the MNM. Please note that CASGEM MEs may continue to voluntarily upload data into the CASGEM Online System from wells not included in a GSP.
For additional information or questions regarding the submittal of groundwater data to CASGEM, please contact us at CASGEM@water.ca.gov. For information or questions pertaining to the MNM, contact us at GSPSubmittal@water.ca.gov.
Consider subscribing to DWR's California Statewide Groundwater Elevation Monitoring (CASGEM) email list to stay up to date on the latest CASGEM Program information.
As part of DWR's technical assistance to GSAs, other water managers, and the public, DWR actively maintains the SGMA Data Viewer. The SGMA Data Viewer is an interactive mapping tool that provides access to groundwater related datasets that are organized by the requirements of SGMA and the GSP Regulations for the purpose of supporting GSP development and implementation.
Recent improvements to the Viewer include the addition of a Basin Characterization tab that displays maps and datasets that are related to DWR’s Basin Characterization Program. Sections within the tab are structured to show maps and data related to Hydrogeologic Conceptual Models, Geologic Maps, and Lithology and Geophysical Data. New map and data to highlight include an AEM Surficial Recharge Map, the locations of San Joaquin Basin Fluvial Fans, a Soil-Sand Texture (0-60 cm) map, the USGS Corcoran Clay (thickness, depth, extent) maps, and the USGS Basement (elevation) map. Additionally, updates to DWR AEM Surveys: Profile Images map allows users to view the AEM electrical resistivity and interpretation profiles (x-sections) within popups.
Dry Domestic Well Susceptibility Tool
DWR, in coordination with the State Water Resources Control Board, developed an interactive mapping tool, called the Dry Well Susceptibility Tool. This tool identifies areas within groundwater basins throughout the State that may be prone to water supply shortages in drinking water wells. Susceptibility is identified based on recent groundwater level measurements and potential 5-year water level decline.
The initial susceptibility map was based on groundwater conditions in Spring of 2021. DWR will update the Dry Well Susceptibility Tool with maps that are based on groundwater conditions in Spring of 2022, 2023, and 2024.
The Dry Well Susceptibility Tool is housed on the California's Groundwater Live web-based platform, which contains the latest information and data on groundwater conditions across the state. State and local agencies and well owners can use this tool to anticipate where wells may go dry based on historical conditions to inform drought preparedness decision-making. To use this tool, navigate to California’s Groundwater Live website and click the Dry Domestic Well Susceptibility tab. A fact sheet on this tool, as well as DWR’s Dry Well Reporting System, is available here.
Dry Well Reporting Public Outreach Templates
To support counties and local agencies with their outreach and communication with well owners regarding dry well emergency assistance, DWR developed public outreach material templates that are available for download, local customization, and immediate use.
- DWR developed a downloadable outreach template with instructions for counties and local agencies to customize the template, proactively outreach, and communicate with well owners on how to report dry wells and receive emergency water supply assistance. This template is available for download in the following additional languages:
These materials can also be found by clicking the Resources button on DWR’s Dry Well Reporting System website, under the Public Outreach Materials section.
‘Be Well Prepared’ Website and Flyer
DWR's Be Well Prepared program provides information and resources to help well owners, well users, and local agencies be ready for impacts on groundwater supplies and drinking water wells, including information about groundwater conditions, well maintenance, assistance programs, dry well reporting and more.
You can also share these informational flyers to help well owners in your community Be Well Prepared:
- What Do I Do if My Well Goes Dry? (English, Spanish, Hmong, Chinese, Tagalog, Russian, Punjabi, Persian)
- Understanding Groundwater – A Guide for Well Users (English, Spanish, Hmong)
- Who to Contact – Resources for Well Owners (English, Spanish, Hmong, Chinese, Tagalog, Russian, Punjabi, Persian)
Please feel free to pass this information on to neighbors, family, and friends that may live in a household with a well or may be experiencing dry well conditions.
Please contact sgmps@water.ca.gov with any questions.
DWR’s written translation service is available to help local agencies with communication to non-English speaking constituents. Translation services for materials are available in Chinese, Hmong, Korean, Laotian, Punjabi, Spanish, Tagalog, and Vietnamese. Applicants can submit written translation requests for up to 15,000 words per basin/subbasin.
For details, visit the Written Translation tab on the Assistance and Engagement webpage.
DWR’s Facilitation Support Services (FSS) program is available to help local agencies work through challenging water management situations. This service provides the help of professional facilitators to foster discussions among diverse water management interests and local agencies when developing and implementing GSPs.
Additionally, DWR has developed an interactive map tool, showing basins where the FSS program has been provided (shown as 'closed' services) and is currently being provided (shown as 'active'). This tool was updated in September 2025.
The FSS interactive map tool and more information about the FSS program can be found on the Facilitation Support tab on the Assistance and Engagement webpage.
DWR's Verbal Interpretation Services (VIS) program was developed to make engagement equally accessible to all community members by offering GSAs and local entities simultaneous interpretation services at GSA and other local SGMA related events. Providing verbal interpretive services can assist GSAs to better engage their communities, to incorporate feedback, and capture more collective views from their basin for successful implementation of SGMA.
GSAs can request interpretation support for upcoming meetings and engagement events, whether in-person, virtual, or hybrid in one or more of the following languages: American Sign Language (ASL), Chinese, Hmong, Korean, Laotian, Punjabi, Spanish, Tagalog, Vietnamese, and more. Interpreters speak into a discreet microphone (pictured above), and listeners can hear their preferred language through headphones. If your basin/subbasin could benefit from a language not identified above, please submit the application and the program contact will reach out regarding the request. Agencies utilizing verbal interpretation services will receive assistance translating meeting invitations and materials into their target language to empower the GSA with the resources to effectively invite attendees if they don’t already have these materials.
For details, visit the Verbal Interpretation tab on the Assistance and Engagement webpage.
DWR has designated basin points of contact (POC) to assist local agencies as they develop and implement their groundwater sustainability plans and to assist with applications for Technical Support Services and Facilitation Support Services. Find your DWR Region Office POC at the links below:
Northern Region (updated: 09/25/2025)
North Central Region (updated: 09/19/2025)
South Central Region (updated: 09/19/2025)
Southern Region (updated: 01/15/2025)
For regional inquiries, contact sgmp_rc@water.ca.gov.
For general inquiries, contact sgmps@water.ca.gov.
Maven’s Notebook’s Groundwater Exchange is a central, collaborative, and publicly accessible online resource center connecting water managers, water users, and community members with tools and resources to support the development and implementation of GSPs. While not a DWR website, DWR representatives have been on the Exchange’s Advisory Board since its inception as it supports the sharing of information and resources for SGMA implementation.
|
|
You are receiving this email because you subscribed to receive updates from the Department of Water Resources’ Sustainable Groundwater Management Office. |
|
|
|
|
