Who We Are

The Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) enables local agencies to manage groundwater locally so long as specific actions are taken and timelines met. SGMA required local agencies to form Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSAs) covering the entire Turlock Subbasin before July 2017. GSAs are required to develop and implement a Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP) or plans to achieve sustainability and prevent undesirable results.

Under SGMA, failure to comply with any of these requirements may lead to State intervention. Should this happen, the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) may require reporting, may charge fees and could create interim management plans until such time that local agencies are able to take over.

About the GSAs

The Turlock Subbasin’s local agencies eligible to form GSAs entered into lengthy discussions after SGMA became enacted into law in 2014. As a result, two GSAs formed within the Subbasin: the West Turlock Subbasin Groundwater Sustainability Agency (West Turlock Subbasin GSA) and the East Turlock Subbasin Groundwater Sustainability Agency (East Turlock Subbasin GSA). The boundary separating the two GSAs is generally the Turlock Irrigation District’s eastern irrigation service area boundary. Both GSAs held public hearings and took official action electing to be the GSA for their respective areas. The GSAs submitted the necessary documentation to the Department of Water Resources (DWR) prior to the July 2017 deadline. The West Turlock Subbasin GSA (consisting of 12 public agencies) and the East Turlock Subbasin GSA (five agencies) jointly developed a single GSP to manage groundwater sustainably through at least 2042. The GSP was submitted to DWR on Jan. 28, 2022.

Who are the member agencies of each gsa?

Technical Advisory Committees

The GSAs each utilize a Technical Advisory Committee that advises their respective GSA Boards. These two committees typically meet jointly each month to handle their business and action items. Feel free and check out our Meetings page to see when the TAC next meets.