Sustainable Groundwater Management

The first comprehensive groundwater legislation in California history, the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act of 2014 (SGMA), was enacted on 16 September 2014 as part of a three-bill package including Assembly Bill (AB) 1739 (Dickinson), Senate Bill (SB) 1169 (Pavley), and SB 1319 (Pavley). The legislation provides a framework for the sustainable management of groundwater by local agencies, with an emphasis on the preservation of local control. The state agencies primarily responsible for implementing SGMA are the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) and the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB).

The first major SGMA milestone was the requirement to form Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSAs) by 30 June 2017. The City has formed an exclusive GSA for its jurisdiction within the area formerly overlying the ESJ Sub-basin , east of the San Joaquin River. The portion of the City overlaying the Tracy Sub-basin is managed by the Stewart Tract GSA, formed by Reclamation District 2062. In February, 2019 DWR approved a Basin Boundary Modification Request that incorporates all of the City in the Tracy Sub-basin and removes the City from the ESJ Sub-basin.  The City has coordinated with the Tracy Sub-basin GSAs to develop a Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP) that needs to be adopted and submitted to DWR by January 31, 2022. The GSP was adopted by the City of Lathrop GSA on December 13, 2021.

Final Tracy Subbasin Groundwater Sustainability Plan

For more information please visit the Tracy Sub-basin Groundwater Sustainability Plan Website at: https://tracysubbasin.org/

City of Lathrop GSA Notification