Coachella Valley Water District (CVWD) is celebrating Groundwater Awareness Week (GWAW) from March 6-12, 2022 along with the National Ground Water Association (NGWA) and The Groundwater Foundation. GWAW was established in 1999 to highlight the responsible development, management, and use of groundwater and to celebrate local groundwater efforts across the country.
Groundwater is a critical component of California’s water supply, accounting for 40 percent in a normal year and up to 60 percent during dry conditions. Groundwater serves as a resource for many different industries and uses, including farms, urban and rural communities, and ecosystems across the state.
Groundwater basins serve as the state’s water savings account and have the capacity to provide a reliable water source during drought conditions when we have less rain and snowpack.
To help ensure long-term sustainable groundwater conditions, the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) of 2014 set forth a statewide regulatory framework for improving the management of our critical groundwater resources. SGMA required the formation of local groundwater sustainability agencies (GSAs) that are now in place throughout the state to develop and implement groundwater sustainability plans (GSPs) to manage groundwater pumping and recharge.
Here in the Coachella Valley, existing water management plans for both the Indio and Mission Creek Subbasins were recognized as alternatives to GSPs that have been addressing groundwater sustainability for many years.
The Indio Subbasin GSAs are CVWD, Desert Water Agency (DWA), Coachella Water Authority, and Indio Water Authority. The Mission Creek Subbasin GSAs (CVWD and DWA) along with Mission Springs Water District make up that basin’s Management Committee.
The Indio Subbasin GSAs and Mission Creek Management Committee are preparing to submit the Water Year 2020-2021 Annual Reports to the Department of Water Resources by April 1. The Annual Reports describe local groundwater conditions and progress made to continue managing our groundwater resources sustainably.
The public is invited to attend a virtual public meeting on the Indio Subbasin Annual Report from 2 to 4 p.m. on March 17.
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For more local information and to view the annual reports, visit our websites:
Indio Subbasin - www.indiosubbasinsgma.org
Mission Creek Subbasin - www.missioncreeksubbasinsgma.org
For more state information, visit the California Department of Water Resources SGMA website, interactive groundwater StoryMap, and view this educational groundwater video.
Coachella Valley Water District is a public agency governed by a five-member board of directors. The district provides domestic and irrigation water, agricultural drainage, wastewater treatment and reclamation services, regional stormwater protection, groundwater management and water conservation. It serves approximately 108,000 residential and business customers across 1,000 square miles located primarily in Riverside County, but also in portions of Imperial and San Diego counties.