PROTECTION
California could not exist as it does today without groundwater. Underground aquifers provide nearly 40% of the state’s annual water supply, and almost 85% of Californians depend on groundwater in some way. Groundwater is also an essential component in many of the freshwater ecosystems that salmonid species call home. For example, the Shasta River–one of the most important tributaries for salmon habitat in the lower Klamath Basin¬–receives more than half of its annual flow from groundwater-fed springs. These springs provide the cold, nutrient-rich water that is vital to the river’s coho and Chinook salmon. The Scott River, another of the Klamath’s key tributaries, is similarly reliant on groundwater to support its streamflow, especially during the dry summer months. Instead of spring complexes, the Scott River depends on an underlying aquifer to provide it with the sufficient flows and low water temperatures that are critical for maintaining healthy spawning and rearing habitat for coho salmon, fall-run Chinook salmon, and steelhead trout.
Given the importance of the resource, and California’s reputation as a leader in environmental policy, you may be surprised to learn that California was the last state to adopt a statewide system for groundwater management. Even more surprising is the near-complete lack of groundwater regulation that existed in California before 2014, when the state’s legislature passed the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA). Until then, most groundwater users could extract as much of the resource as they pleased as long as the amount was “reasonable,” and the water was put to some “beneficial” use. Such loose regulation left California’s groundwater resources extremely vulnerable to over-exploitation and degradation, and completely ignored the impacts that groundwater pumping can have on surface waters.
Navigating SGMA to Protect
Source Waters for Fish and People
Written by Amanda Cooper
Shasta/Klamath Program Director