Sustainable Groundwater Management | Santa Clara Valley Water

Valley Water has managed groundwater resources in Santa Clara County since 1929, and conditions have been sustainable for many decades due to our activities that protect and augment groundwater supplies. In 2014, Governor Brown signed the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) to promote local, sustainable groundwater management.

For basins designated as medium and high priority by the state, SGMA requires local Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSAs) to develop and implement Groundwater Sustainability Plans (GSPs) or Alternatives to achieve sustainability. Valley Water is the GSA for the Santa Clara and Llagas Subbasins (the primary basins in the county) and the small portions of the North San Benito Subbasin in Santa Clara County. SGMA compliance for these basins is described below.

Santa Clara and Llagas Subbasins

In 2019, DWR approved Valley Water’s 2016 Groundwater Management Plan for the Santa Clara and Llagas Subbasins as an Alternative, determining it satisfies the objectives of SGMA. Periodic evaluations of approved plans are required at least every five years, so Valley Water submitted the Board-adopted 2021 Groundwater Management Plan to DWR in December 2021. In June 2024, DWR approved the 2021 Groundwater Management Plan confirming the Alternative satisfies the objectives of SGMA and complies with related regulations. Annual reports must be submitted to DWR by April 1 of each year for the previous water year (October 1 to September 30). Links to Valley Water’s SGMA periodic evaluation, recent water year report, and DWR’s SGMA portal are below.

If you would like to receive information on SGMA compliance and groundwater management in the Santa Clara and Llagas Subbasins, please email us at [email protected].

North San Benito Subbasin

The North San Benito Subbasin is largely located within San Benito County, with small portions in Santa Clara County. Both the San Benito County Water District (SBCWD) and Valley Water are GSAs for the North San Benito Subbasin, but SBCWD is leading SGMA compliance with support from Valley Water. The North San Benito GSP, adopted by both the SBCWD and Valley Water Board of Directors, was approved by DWR in 2023. Links to the GSP and recent water year report are below.

If you would like to receive information about SGMA compliance in the North San Benito Subbasin, please contact Barbara Mauro, SBCWD Board Clerk, at [email protected].

This webpage was last updated on August 5, 2024. For questions, please contact us at [email protected].