BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — The Sustainable Groundwater Management Act took a major step forward last week. I'm Madi Vollmer and I spoke with local Groundwater Sustainability Agencies to find out what this means for the Kern County Subbasin.
After several attempts, Kern GSAs were able to get their revised Sustainable Groundwater Management Act plan approved by the State Water Resources Control Board.
Steven Teglia is the general manager, for the Kern Delta Water District and he says, "I mean really, you could say we've been working since 2020. The first plans were submitted in 2020, and they were reviewed by the Department of Water Resources and subsequently got sent to the State Water Resources Control Board."
This also means the Kern Subbasin will not be placed on probation. Kern County is the largest subbasin in California under the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act — with a wide range of agricultural, municipal, and industrial water users. SGMA was adopted in 2014 to reverse the overuse of groundwater, which can lead to a host of serious problems.
Trent Taylor is the assistant general manager, Rosedale-Rio Bravo Water District and he says, "What I think is crucial is we've already begun implementing components of our plan since 2024. But with the final plan adopted in September of 2025, we're fully committed to implementing all aspects of that plan going forward."
Avoiding probation means certainty in implementing groundwater sustainability plans — but it's also a financial win for the local farming community.
"Because we avoid fees that are imposed during probation — pre-well registration fees, per-acre-foot production fees — it can be very costly. And it’s a huge transfer of monetary value outside of our basin to the state. We really think those resources are better utilized here in the Kern Subbasin." Teglia said.
Local GSAs say public input will continue to play a key role as groundwater plans move forward.
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