Best Management Practices and Guidance Documents
The Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), Water Code Section 10729, directs DWR to “publish on its internet Web site best management practices for the sustainable management of groundwater,” and authorizes DWR to provide technical assistance to Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSAs). DWR has developed and published 2 categories of information – Best Management Practices (BMPs) and Guidance Documents – to assist GSAs when implementing, or updating their Groundwater Sustainability Plans (GSPs).
BMPs and Guidance Documents are not substitutes for GSP Regulations or the statutory provisions of SGMA, but information in these publications is intended to assist GSAs with developing appropriate approaches to complying with SGMA and the GSP Regulations when developing and implementing groundwater management programs in their basins that will protect groundwater resources and advance the sustainable management of groundwater. DWR may develop additional BMPs and Guidance Documents, or make revisions to the existing publications, as needed.
The Groundwater Sustainability Plan Emergency Regulations (GSP Regulations) define BMPs as “the practice, or combination of practices, that are designed to achieve sustainable groundwater management and have been determined to be technologically and economically effective, practicable, and based on best available science.”
In brief, BMPs provide:
- Clarification
- Guidance
- Examples to help GSAs develop the essential elements of a GSP
DWR has developed these BMPs based on technical information from other groundwater management efforts, existing standards, and other guidance or reference reports.
New and In Development:
Best Management Practices: Land Subsidence
DWR developed and released a draft BMP document that describes activities, practices, and procedures to meet the intent of SGMA to avoid or minimize subsidence. This draft subsidence BMP is aimed at providing information to assist GSAs with developing appropriate approaches to avoid subsidence in areas that are vulnerable to pumping-induced subsidence, and to minimize subsidence in areas that have or currently are experiencing subsidence.
DWR will accept public comments on the draft document until September 22, 2025. Interested parties are strongly encouraged to submit comments in writing or by attending upcoming in-person meetings to be held in Clovis, Delano, and Willows. These meetings will include an overview of the draft document and serve as a venue to ask questions and provide public comment. More information on the public meetings can be found here. Public comments can be sent by email to sgmps@water.ca.gov.
To download the draft subsidence BMP, please click the link below.
- DRAFT Land Subsidence BMP (PDF) | Publish Date: July 24, 2025)
Previously Released BMPs:
BMP Resources
Guidance Documents address topic areas relevant to SGMA for which no established standards in the water management industry exist and provide clarification on issues that may not have been specifically identified in the GSP Regulations, with the intent to promote water conservation, protect groundwater resources, and advance the sustainable management of groundwater.
New and In Development:
Guidance on Interconnected Surface Water
DWR released a series of papers and an informational webinar giving a general overview of the technical aspects of interconnected surface water (ISW). These resources discuss the quantification of depletions of ISW due to pumping. Included with the release of Paper 2 and Paper 3 is a cover letter introducing the topics covered by each paper. To download resources that have been released and for the most current information about project status, see below.
- Paper 1: Depletions of ISW: An Introduction (PDF | Draft Published February 2024)
- Paper 2: Techniques for Estimating ISW Depletion Caused by Groundwater Use (PDF | Draft Published September 2024)
- Paper 3: Examples for Estimating ISW Depletion Caused by Groundwater Use (PDF | Draft Published September 2024)
- Cover Letter: ISW Papers Cover Letter (PDF | Published September 2024)
- Webinar: ISW Depletion Informational Webinar (Video | Published October 2024)
Using the technical basis provided in these three papers, DWR will develop guidance for Groundwater Sustainability Agencies to consider to manage depletions of ISW for their groundwater basin.
- Guidance for Managing ISW Depletion (Under Development)
Groundwater Sustainability Plan Implementation
A guide to Annual Reports, Periodic Evaluation, and Plan Amendments
These documents provide guidance to GSAs preparing Annual Reports, Periodic Evaluations, and GSP Amendments for GSP implementation and compliance with SGMA and the GSP Regulations.
Published: October 30, 2023
Additional Guidance Documents:
Funding SGMA Implementation
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PDF)
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(Revision Date:
(Publish Date:
Version: Final
The purpose of this high-level resource guide is to provide GSAs with information that will support the selection and development of self-funding streams for funding SGMA implementation. The document outlines common funding mechanisms available to GSAs and provides a general approach that agencies can consider when developing a funding mechanism.
Considerations for Identifying and Addressing Drinking Water Well Impacts
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PDF)
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(Publish Date:
The purpose of this document is to support and assist GSAs in fully considering and developing appropriate ways to monitor and address impacts to drinking water well users as GSAs implement their plans and prepare periodic evaluations for submittal to DWR.
Resource Guide for Climate Change Data and Guidance
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PDF)
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(Publish Date:
The Resource Guide gives GSAs and other stakeholders a high-level overview of the climate change resources including datasets provided by DWR, tools for working with the DWR-provided datasets, and guidance for using DWR-provided data and tools in developing GSPs. The datasets and methods can provide technical assistance to GSAs for developing projected water budgets.
Guidance for Climate Change Data Use During Sustainability Plan Development
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PDF)
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(Publish Date:
Version: Final
The objective of this Guidance Document is to provide Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSAs) and other stakeholders with information regarding climate change datasets and related tools provided by the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) for use in developing Groundwater Sustainability Plans (GSPs). The datasets and methods are provided as technical assistance to GSAs to develop projected water budgets.
Stakeholder Communication and Engagement
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PDF)
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(Publish Date:
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.
Engagement with Tribal Governments
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PDF)
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(Publish Date:
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.
GSP Annotated Outline
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PDF)
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(Revision Date:
(Publish Date:
Version: 1
The objective of this Guidance Document is to provide Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSAs) and other stakeholders an example Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP) Annotated Outline to aid in GSP development and standardize future reporting.
Preparation Checklist for GSP Submittal
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PDF)
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(Revision Date:
(Publish Date:
Version: 1
The objective of this Guidance Document is to provide Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSAs) and other interested stakeholders a checklist of Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP) content requirements for the purpose of verifying a GSP is complete and is ready for submission to DWR.
Contact Us
General Inquiries:
sgmps@water.ca.gov
Regional Inquiries:
sgmp_rc@water.ca.gov
Basin Points of Contact:
Northern Region
North Central Region
South Central Region
Southern Region