Mid-Kaweah Groundwater Sustainability Agency (MKGSA)

In 2014, the State of California enacted the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) to better manage groundwater supplies over the long-term.  SGMA emphasizes that groundwater is best suited to be managed at the local level, and directs local agencies to work together to achieve sustainable use of groundwater resources by 2040, or 2042, depending on condition.  SGMA authorizes that local agencies with groundwater basins that are deemed high or medium priority in relation to the state of overdraft conditions, to establish Groundwater Management Plans to balance the amount of water pumped out and put back in the groundwater aquifer of a basin.

In September 2015, the City of Visalia entered into a joint powers agreement with the City of Tulare and the Tulare Irrigation District, to form the Mid-Kaweah Groundwater Sustainability Agency (MKGSA).  In December 2019, the MKGSA issued its Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP).  The Mid-Kaweah GSP is presently under review by the California Department of Water Resources.

To learn more about the Mid-Kaweah Groundwater Sustainability Agency and its groundwater sustainability planning efforts, click here.