Underrepresented Communities, California Tribes, and Small Farmers Groundwater Technical Assistance Program 

This program can provide onsite engineering, geologic, hydrologic, and other technical services to eligible Underrepresented Communities, California Native American (Federally and non-Federally recognized) Tribes, and URCTA Small Farmers. The types of services provided include, but are not limited to:

• Analysis of groundwater conditions, interference, impact (for depletion, land subsidence, groundwater dependent ecosystem depletion, etc.), and water quality
• Analysis of long-term water supply demand, and assistance with facilitating water transfers, groundwater sustainability matters, water well and pump repairs
• Design of water systems (supply, production, distribution, treatment, and storage, including fire flow requirements)
• Preparation and submittals of relevant applications, project plans and specifications, equipment and system trainings 
• URCTA Fact Sheet (English) (Spanish)
• URCTA Services (English) (Spanish)
• URCTA Steps (English) (Spanish)

Small Farmers Outreach Materials

Small Farmer URCTA Services (English) (Spanish)

Small Farmer URCTA Steps (English) (Spanish)

Tribal Outreach and Engagement

The URCTA Program and its contractor, and in collaboration with DWR’s Office of Tribal Affairs, is working to provide California Tribes with information on available technical assistance, outreach materials for both agricultural and groundwater-related needs, Water Needs and Tribal Small Farmer Surveys, and the opportunity to request a formal consultation. 
 Agriculture-related Tribal outreach began in early 2024 with additional collaborative organizations identified for outreach to Tribes, including a focus on Tribal small farmers with connection to agricultural and native food growing practices.

Tribal Water Stories

The URCTA program, in collaboration with DWR’s Office of Tribal Affairs and partnering Tribes, developed culturally relevant educational materials to support continued Tribal outreach and to help educate California youth on the importance of water with connection to California Native American Tribes. Materials include the generation of Tribal graphic novels (Tribal Water Stories) with Native American stories shared by Tribes for this educational purpose, coloring books, animations, native language narration recordings, and video interviews. These materials provide the connection to indigenous origin stories and the beneficial uses of water.

URCTA Tribal Water Stories Process Flyer

Tribal Graphic Novels

The Making of the World Story

Fish Story

How the Earth Was Made

Animated Videos

Recognizing the importance of water literacy and water conservation in California, the educational materials listed below were developed with an emphasis on groundwater, understanding water in relation to our changing environment, as well as an early introduction to groundwater-related topics in the education system. 
These downloadable materials, provided in English and Spanish, are designed to be more localized and engaging for students in grades kindergarten through 12th grade (K-12), separated into the 10 hydrologic regions in California.
In 2025, in partnership with Project WET, the Program anticipates providing a pilot class to K-12 educators to utilize the lesson plans below to teach their students about groundwater. For more information, please visit the Project WET website at: Home | Project Wet 

• Technical Memorandum Summary
• Communication and Engagement Plan (CEP) (English) (Spanish)
• Outreach Videos
• URC Maps
  Northern California Region
  Northern California Region Insets
  Central California Region
  Central Coast Region
  Southeastern Region
  Southeastern Region Inset
  Tribal Regions
  Tribal Land in North Coast by Hydrologic Regions