Modified groundwater sustainability plans (GSPs or Plans) for the Kern County Subbasin (Subbasin) have been adopted and submitted to the Department.  As required by SGMA, the Department posts adopted Plans on the DWR SGMA Portal and provides an opportunity for public comments on the Plans (Water Code § 10733.4(c)).  However, this Subbasin is currently under the jurisdiction of the State Water Resources Control Board (Board) and is subject to the Board’s state intervention process, because DWR determined the 2022 GSPs to be inadequate. The Department’s SGMA Portal is being utilized to accept revised adopted GSPs from basins with initial GSPs determined to be inadequate; however, the Department will not evaluate or assess any GSPs covering these basins under the provisions of Chapter 10 unless requested to do so by the Board under Water Code § 10735.2(b), or until the Board notifies the Department that state intervention is complete and indicates jurisdiction of the basin is returned to the Department.  

Posting a GSP on the SGMA Portal initiates a 75-day public comment period. The Department will provide notice if it commences evaluation of the GSPs and will open a second public comment period.  Below is a table with a link to the submitted GSPs, the county they cover, and the public comment period end date. Information about how to comment can be found in a public comment fact sheets available in English and Spanish. Public comments are welcome and encouraged. A SGMA Portal account is not necessary to submit comments.