Periodic Evaluation of the Groundwater Sustainability Plan

The Santa Rosa Plain Groundwater Sustainability Agency conducted a Periodic Evaluation of the Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP), as required by the State of California under the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA). The GSP for the Santa Rosa Plain Subbasin was submitted to the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) in Jan. 2022 and approved by DWR on Jan. 26, 2023. The GSP establishes a standard for sustainability of groundwater management and use and determines how the basin will achieve this standard by 2042.

Periodic Evaluations are required every five years to ensure that Groundwater Sustainability Plans remain current, effective, and aligned with the best available data and regulatory guidance. Periodic Evaluations also provide the foundation for future GSP amendments, if needed.

Periodic Evaluation Report: Key Highlights

New information collected with the support of funding from a DWR grant, helped implement actions and fill important data gaps identified in the GSP. Some of the key highlights of the Periodic Evaluation are:

• DWR Recommended Corrective Actions have been addressed or are in process of being addressed
• Monitoring networks were improved with new well installations and voluntary monitoring programs
• Review of groundwater data over the past 5 years indicates overall stable groundwater conditions, and no undesirable results
• Progress has been made on Projects and Management Actions through planning, pilot studies and initial implementation
• Updated water budgets and preliminary projected simulations indicate existing Project and Management Actions framework remains appropriate to address projected climate and land use changes

The Periodic Evaluation Report concludes that:

• GSP implementation is on track
• The Santa Rosa Plain Subbasin currently exhibits sustainable groundwater conditions
• No need to revise sustainable management criteria, change projects, or update any other policy decisions made in the GSP
• The GSP remains an appropriate planning and implementation document for groundwater management in the Subbasin