Assistance and Engagement

Prop 1 drought workshop 2015 — Workshop attendees listen to overviews of new groundwater legislation during a drought response workshop in Irvine, California in February 2015

Then-Governor Jerry Brown noted upon signing the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) that groundwater is best managed at the local level, and that the State's primary role is to provide guidance and support. We are committed to providing this guidance and support as you implement SGMA and work toward managing your groundwater basins sustainably.

We provide a variety of services including Facilitation Support, Technical Services and Field Activities, Communication and Engagement, and Financial Assistance.

Implementation of the SGMA necessitates timely, forthright, and consistent communication among all partners and stakeholders. Proactive outreach to and engagement of partners and stakeholders is essential to achieving sustainable groundwater management at the local and regional level. Local and regional agencies in turn must reach out to keep local citizens, groundwater users, and stakeholders informed. The SGM Program Strategic Plan provides an overview of DWR's initial plan for communication and outreach with partners.

Advisory Groups

During the process of regulations development, DWR established 11 advisory groups. Throughout the regulations process, these advisory groups have provided valuable input for the Department. DWR continues to engage with these groups and promote collaboration of Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSAs) on a regional scale.

Practitioners Advisory Panel

The Practitioners Advisory Panel consists of a group of practitioners representing various local stakeholder groups that will implement SGMA in their respective basins. These panel members are representatives of potential decision makers and GSAs.

Tribal Advisory Group

The Tribal Advisory Group (TAG) includes tribal leadership, subject matter experts, and technical and non-technical members of local, academic, and tribal governments that are actively engaged in local groundwater management and will be key in local implementation of SGMA. TAG members will be responsible for distribution of information and resources to their respective tribes and organizations.

Draft Discussion Paper Tribal Participation with Groundwater Sustainability Agencies

Contact: Anecita Agustinez, DWR Tribal Policy Advisor

Non-Governmental Organizations

The NGO organizations represented in this group include the following types:

Conservation organizations
Environmental and social justice organizations
Water and environmental policy organizations
Technical assistance organizations
Legal assistance organizations

Contact: Jennifer Clary

Association of California Water Agencies

The Association of California Water Agencies is the largest statewide coalition of public water agencies in the country. Its 430 public agency members collectively are responsible for 90% of the water delivered to cities, farms and businesses in California.

Contact: Dave Bolland

Northern California Water Association

The Northern California Water Association represents the water districts, water companies, small towns, rural communities, and landowners that beneficially use both surface and groundwater water resources in the Sacramento Valley.

Contact: Todd Manley

San Joaquin Tributaries Authority

The San Joaquin Tributaries Authority is a coalition of water agencies whose members include the Modesto Irrigation District, Turlock Irrigation District, Oakdale Irrigation District, Merced Irrigation District, South San Joaquin Irrigation District, and the City and County of San Francisco.

Contact: Valerie Kincaid

San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority

The San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority was established in January of 1992 and consists of 29 Member Agencies representing approximately 1.1 million acres of federal and exchange water service contractors within the western San Joaquin Valley, from the City of Tracy in the north to Kettleman City in the south, as well as portions of San Benito and Santa Clara counties.

Contact: Andrew Garcia

Central Coast area (Monterey County and Santa Cruz area)

This group of stakeholders is from areas of the West Santa Cruz Terrace groundwater basin, Santa Cruz Purisima Formation Highlands groundwater basin, Pajaro Valley basin and Salinas Valley groundwater basins. The agencies include Soquel Creek Water District, Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency, Scott Valley Water District, San Lorenzo Valley Water District, and Monterey County Water Resources Agency.

Contact: Robert Johnson and Melanie Mow Schumacher

Rural County Representatives of California

The Rural County Representatives of California is a thirty-four member county service organization that champions policies on behalf of California's rural counties.

Contact: Nick Konovaloff

California State Association of Counties

The primary purpose of California State Association of Counties is to represent county government before the California Legislature, administrative agencies and the federal government.

Contact: Cara Martinson

Ag Community

The Agricultural Advisory Group includes representatives from the statewide agricultural community. Organizations (including but not limited to) represented by this group are:

The California Department of Food and Agriculture
Agricultural Council of California
California Dairies, Inc.
California Citrus Mutual
California Cotton Ginners Association
California Cotton Growers Association
California Tomato Growers Association
California Fresh Fruit Association
Nisei Farmers League
Western Agricultural Processors Association
Western Growers Association
California Farm Bureau Federation
California League of Food Processors
California Cattlemen’s Association
Family Winemakers of California

Contact: Lauren Hersh

Tulare Lake Hydrologic Region Group

This group includes groundwater managers in the Tulare Lake Hydrologic Region which includes the Kings, Kaweah, Tule, Westside, Tulare Lake, and Kern subbasins. This group includes representatives from the following agencies: Fresno County, Tulare County, Kings County; City of Bakersfield, Fresno, and Clovis; King River Conservation District, Kaweah Delta Water Conservation District; Kern Groundwater Authority; Tulare Lake Basin Water Storage District; Lower Tule River Irrigation District, Tulare Irrigation District, James Irrigation District, Fresno Irrigation District, Kings County Water District, Westlands Water District, and Dudley Ridge Water District.

Contact: Eric Osterling

DWR Region Office Contacts

DWR provides a variety of Integrated Regional Water Management (IRWM) related resources to assist water management groups and the public. The Sustainable Groundwater Management Program (SGMP) will continue utilizing the established regional resources for communication and outreach within your region. Regional Coordinators serve as primary points of contact for communication and outreach with local stakeholders.

All high and medium priority basins are assigned a Point of Contact (POC) from DWR Region Offices. POCs assist GSAs and stakeholders in the basin to connect with the SGMP and locate resources for assistance. View POCs for groundwater basins in DWR's:

Communication & Engagement Digital Toolkit

This set of tools and templates is provided for the purposes of SGMA outreach as discussed in the Stakeholder Communication and Engagement (C&E) Guidance document. The templates may be downloaded, modified, and tailored to specific needs and audiences. While not all tools and templates are applicable to all GSAs, they are available as examples of effective ways to engage.

Outreach and Engagement: A Resource Management Strategy for the California Water Plan The California Water Plan provides a broad set of Resource Management Strategies (RMSs) that can help local agencies and governments (and GSAs) manage their water and related resources. While not specific to SGMA, the Outreach and Engagement RMS directly addresses water management in California and discusses tools and practices by water agencies to facilitate contributions by public individuals and groups toward good water management outcomes.
	Collaborating for Success: Stakeholder Engagement for Sustainable Groundwater Management Act Implementation Prepared by the Community Water Center in July 2015, the intent of this report is to convey the value of stakeholder engagement to sustainable groundwater management. The report outlines the statutory requirements for stakeholder engagement in SGMA, gives examples of best practices and examples of collaborative management from around the state, and provides a recommended roadmap for effective stakeholder engagement drawn specifically for SGMA implementation.
	Inclusive Public Engagement Prepared by the Institute fro Local Government (ILG), this report offers tip sheets and resources to effectively and successfully plan and implement successful engagement strategies. Whether it’s supporting and connecting with local leadership programs as a pipeline to engage specific populations, or partnering with local communitybased organizations to reach beyond the small slice of the public that most frequently attends meetings, ILG’s inclusive public engagement resources will offer perspective to any planning process.
	Open & Public V - A Guide to The Ralph M. Brown Act Developed and originally published in 1989 by the League’s City Attorneys’ Department Brown Act Committee, this recently updated fifth edition of Open & Public explains the current provisions of California statutes and case law as of April 2016 and includes an annotated copy of the Brown Act. The publication covers: Public participation in meetings Informal gatherings Public notice of meetings Agenda requirements Records and recordings The public’s place on the council agenda Closed meetings

Outreach and Engagement: A Resource Management Strategy for the California Water Plan The California Water Plan provides a broad set of Resource Management Strategies (RMSs) that can help local agencies and governments (and GSAs) manage their water and related resources. While not specific to SGMA, the Outreach and Engagement RMS directly addresses water management in California and discusses tools and practices by water agencies to facilitate contributions by public individuals and groups toward good water management outcomes.
	Collaborating for Success: Stakeholder Engagement for Sustainable Groundwater Management Act Implementation Prepared by the Community Water Center in July 2015, the intent of this report is to convey the value of stakeholder engagement to sustainable groundwater management. The report outlines the statutory requirements for stakeholder engagement in SGMA, gives examples of best practices and examples of collaborative management from around the state, and provides a recommended roadmap for effective stakeholder engagement drawn specifically for SGMA implementation.
	Inclusive Public Engagement Prepared by the Institute fro Local Government (ILG), this report offers tip sheets and resources to effectively and successfully plan and implement successful engagement strategies. Whether it’s supporting and connecting with local leadership programs as a pipeline to engage specific populations, or partnering with local communitybased organizations to reach beyond the small slice of the public that most frequently attends meetings, ILG’s inclusive public engagement resources will offer perspective to any planning process.
	Open & Public V - A Guide to The Ralph M. Brown Act Developed and originally published in 1989 by the League’s City Attorneys’ Department Brown Act Committee, this recently updated fifth edition of Open & Public explains the current provisions of California statutes and case law as of April 2016 and includes an annotated copy of the Brown Act. The publication covers: Public participation in meetings Informal gatherings Public notice of meetings Agenda requirements Records and recordings The public’s place on the council agenda Closed meetings

Templates

Stakeholder Engagement Chart for Identifying GSP Audiences - A table of potential interests that should be considered and included in a GSA's engagement activities.
Stakeholder Survey Template - A survey template with questions geared towards learning about the stakeholder's interests, issues, and challenges.
"Lay of the Land" Exercise Template - An exercise template to help you develop strategies for engagement after the stakeholder surveys are completed.

Examples from Local SGMA Workgroups

Agendas - Eastern San Joaquin County Groundwater Basin Authority
Basin Factsheet - Upper Ventura River GSA
Newsletters - Santa Cruz Mid-County Groundwater Agency
Advisory Group - Santa Cruz Mid-County Groundwater Agency
Spanish SGMA materials - Salinas Valley Groundwater work group
Bilingual GSA Factsheet - North Fork GSA
Mailing list sign up - Kern Groundwater Authority

Local GSA Websites

Visit the websites below for examples of how some local agencies are keeping the public informed about their SGMA implementation efforts.

For additional examples of local agency websites, please visit the SGMA Portal where all GSAs are listed with website and contact information.

Additional Published Resources

Inclusive Public Engagement
Prepared by the Institute fro Local Government (ILG), this report offers tip sheets and resources to effectively and successfully plan and implement successful engagement strategies.
Open and Public V - A Guide to The Ralph M Brown Act
Developed and originally published in 1989 by the League’s City Attorneys’ Department Brown Act Committee, this recently updated fifth edition of Open & Public explains the current provisions of California statutes and case law as of April 2016 and includes an annotated copy of the Brown Act.

Outreach and Engagement - A Resource Management Strategy for the California Water Plan
Prepared by DWR for the California Water Plan, this resource directly addresses water management in California and discusses tools and practices by water agencies to facilitate contributions by public individuals and groups toward good water management outcomes.
Collaborating for Success - Stakeholder Engagement for SGMA Implementation
Prepared by the Community Water Center in 2015, this resource outlines the statutory requirements for stakeholder engagement in SGMA, gives examples of best practices and examples of collaborative management from around the state, and provides a recommended roadmap for effective stakeholder engagement.

Translated Materials (Materiales Traducidos)

Documento Guia para el GSP - Comunicacion y Participacion de los Interesados (Spanish PDF) | (Publish Date: Jan 01, 2018)

Este documento guía ofrece a las agencias de Sostenibilidad del Agua Subterránea (GSA) información útil para la comunicación y participación de los interesados en la elaboración del Plan de Sostenibilidad del Agua Subterránea (GSP). Incluye ejemplos y recursos existentes relacionados con la participación del público y la comunicación eficaz para implementar la Ley de Gestión Sostenible del Agua Subterránea (SGMA).

Guia de Reglamentos de Emergencia para Planes de Sostenibilidad del Agua Subterranea (Spanish PDF) | (Publish Date: Jul 31, 2016)

El propósito legislativo de la histórica SGMA de 2014 es que las agencias públicas locales y las recién formadas GSA gestionen el agua subterránea de manera sostenible en las cuencas subterráneas de California. En apoyo a las áreas adjudicadas, en las cuencas que el DWR determine que tengan prioridad alta y media, las agencias públicas locales y las GSA deben desarrollar e implementar GSPs o alternativas a los GSP para evitar la posible intervención de la SWRCB. De conformidad con la Sección 10733.2 del Código Hídrico, el DWR debe redactar un borrador y adoptar reglamentos de emergencia para evaluar los GSP y las alternativas, implementar los GSP y las alternativas, y celebrar acuerdos de coordinación para el 1.º de junio de 2016. Aunque no están sujetos a la SGMA, se invita y se autoriza a las agencias públicas locales en cuencas designadas de prioridad baja y muy baja a formar GSA y desarrollar GSP, actualizar los planes de gestión del agua subterránea existentes o coordinarse con otras organizaciones para desarrollar un nuevo plan de gestión del agua subterránea de conformidad con la Sección 10750 et seq. del Código Hídrico.

Ley de Gestion Sustentable del Agua Subterranea SGMA (Spanish PDF) | (Publish Date: Feb 01, 2015)

Folleto de dos páginas que describe el horizonte de antecedentes, planificación y ejecución, y aspectos principales de la Ley de Gestión Sustentable del Agua Subterránea (SGMA)

Los Usuarios de Pozos Domesticos y la SGMA (Spanish PDF) | (Publish Date: Mar 01, 2016)

Los usuarios de pozos domésticos normalmente entran en la definición de extractor de minimis de la Ley de Gestión del Agua Subterránea (Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, SGMA). La SGMA define a un extractor de minimis como “una persona que extrae dos acre-pies o menos (de agua subterránea) al año, con fines domésticos”. La SGMA puede afectar a los usuarios de pozos domésticos bajo ciertas circunstancias, como se describe en este folleto.

GSA Forum

The Department of Water Resources hosted a free Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA) Forum for GSA members and stakeholders on March 21, 2019, in West Sacramento, to facilitate the exchange of ideas, establish professional networks and foster successful stakeholder engagement. Two panel discussions focused on communication, coordination, engagement and outreach. Panelists showcased various governance structures, stakeholder outreach and engagement strategies and provided presentations, followed by a question and answer period. The agenda, presentations, and recorded video are provided below.

GSA Forum Video

SGMA Guidance Resources

Stakeholder Communication and Engagement ( PDF) | (Publish Date: Jan 31, 2018) Version: Final

This guidance document provides GSAs information to aid with stakeholder communication and engagement for GSP preparation and to provide examples and existing resources related to public engagement and effective communication for SGMA implementation.

SGMA Guidance - Stakeholder Engagement Requirements by Phase

Stakeholder Engagement Requirements by Phase | (Publish Date: Jan 01, 2015)

Statutory stakeholder requirements identified over the four phases of Sustainable Groundwater Management planning and implementation horizon: GSA Formation and Coordination, GSP Preparation and Submission, GSP Review and Evaluation, and Implementation and Reporting.

Communication and Engagement Plan Outline | (Publish Date: Jul 01, 2017)

A detailed C&E Plan outline for you to consider as you develop a C&E Plan to help guide your GSP development and fulfill the "communication section" requirement of your GSP.

SGMA Guidance - Engagement with Tribal Governments

Engagement with Tribal Governments ( PDF) | (Publish Date: Jan 31, 2018) Version: Final

This guidance document conveys information, as provided by California’s Tribal governments, by which local agencies can engage Tribal governments as part of an effort to identify interested persons, and consider the interests of beneficial users of groundwater; including those users on Tribal lands not subject to SGMA.

Our Technical Support Services (TSS) supports Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSAs) as they develop their Groundwater Sustainability Plans (GSPs). TSS’s goal is to provide education, data, and tools to GSAs to build the capacity needed to achieve sustainability. TSS is available to GSAs through our regional offices or contractors pending funding availability. Critically overdrafted basins have initial priority for this funding.

Technical Support Services offered:

Field Activities

Monitoring Well Installation

Geophysical Logging

Geologic Logging

Groundwater Level Monitoring Training
Borehole Video Logging
Other Field Activities

Modeling and Mapping

Modeling Training and Support (pending DWR updated model release)

Who is Eligible?

GSAs developing GSPs are eligible to apply for this service if they meet all of the following obligations:

Agree to share any data generated from the technical support service(s) with DWR and the public.
Comply with all applicable laws related to the technical support service(s).
Agree to work in an open, inclusive, and collaborative manner toward the development of a GSP.
Agree to complete GSA’s responsibilities related to requested technical support service(s) within the defined timeframe.
Support DWR staff or contractors that are providing technical support service(s)

Applications for TSS will be evaluated on a continuous basis as funding allows. Applications must be submitted through an online application system made available to the applicant following consultation with DWR Regional Office and Headquarters.

For more information or help starting a TSS application, contact DWR’s regional office coordinators at sgmp_rc@water.ca.gov

TSS Services Fact Sheet ( PDF) | (Publish Date: Apr 18, 2018)

Two-page fact sheet with information about DWR's Technical Support Services (TSS) to support Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSAs) as they develop their Groundwater Sustainability Plans (GSPs).

Our Facilitation Support Service (FSS) helps local agencies work through challenging water management situations. Under SGMA, Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSAs) must encourage the active involvement of diverse social, cultural, and economic interests. All beneficial uses and users of groundwater have to be considered, as GSAs develop SGMA mandated Groundwater Sustainability Plans (GSPs). Sometimes GSAs need the help of professional facilitators to foster discussions among diverse water management interests and local agencies. The FSS will help with development of GSPs. Critically overdrafted basins are given funding priority.

Services Offered through DWR-funded Professional Facilitators

Identification and engagement of interested parties
Meeting facilitation
Interest-based negotiation/consensus building
Public outreach facilitation

Who is Eligible?

GSAs developing GSPs, or other groups coordinating with the GSAs in developing GSPs, are eligible to apply for this service if they meet all of the following obligations:

Agree to work in an open, inclusive, and collaborative manner toward the development of a GSP.
Support an inclusive process that seeks, promotes, encourages, and welcomes the involvement of all interested parties.
Commit to meet regularly and work diligently toward a clear and defined goal.
Commit to providing a meeting space that is suitably located and sized.

Applications for FSS will be evaluated on a continuous basis as funding allows.

Facilitation Support Services Application

For more information or help starting a FSS application, contact DWR’s regional office coordinators at sgmp_rc@water.ca.gov.

Grants

Proposition 1 IRWM

Prop 1 Proposition 1 (The Water Quality, Supply, and Infrastructure Improvement Act of 2014) IRWM Grant Program, which includes funding for Disadvantaged Community (DAC) projects, provides funding for projects that help meet the long-term water needs of the state. The 2016 Guidelines provides information on the general process, procedures, and criteria. Draft Proposal Solicitation Package is expected to be released early in 2018.

Sustainable Groundwater Planning

View The Sustainable Groundwater Planning (SGWP) Grant Program which provides funding for projects that develop and implement sustainable groundwater planning and projects consistent with groundwater planning requirements.