About the Program
In the midst of the COVID-19 crisis, work to manage groundwater for the long term continues as required by California’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act. The PPIC Water Policy Center has reviewed 36 groundwater plans for 11 critically overdrafted basins in the San Joaquin Valley—California’s largest farming region, where excess pumping is a major challenge. This review includes a deep dive into the plans’ water budgets, and proposals to end overdraft and mitigate its undesirable effects; analysis of surface water availability on valley farmland; and a look at recharge proposals with an eye toward available surface runoff. Our experts will present these findings and discuss key takeaways and next steps in the groundwater management effort.
This research and event were supported with funding from the S. D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation.
We invite you to watch the event video, and to explore the following related resources:
- PPIC’s blog series on the groundwater plans
- A Review of Groundwater Sustainability Plans in the San Joaquin Valley, public comments submitted by PPIC to the California Department of Water Resources.
- Datasets related to the review.
Agenda
11:00 a.m. Welcome and Introduction
Ellen Hanak, center director and senior fellow, PPIC Water Policy Center
11:05 a.m. Highlights from PPIC’s Review
Jelena Jezdimirovic, research associate, PPIC Water Policy Center
11:25 a.m. Key Takeaways and Next Steps
Ellen Hanak and Jelena Jezdimirovic
11:45 a.m. Audience Q&A
12:00 p.m. Adjourn