NGWA
SM
The Groundwater
Association
NGWA SUPPORTS
DROUGHT–RESPONSE
LEGISLATION
California Governor
Brown declared a drought
emergency on January
17, 2014, after several
successive years of severe
drought in California.
Surface water reservoirs
have gone dry, no longer
supporting communities
now seeking alternative
water sources.
California and Western
states have turned to
groundwater and
desalination, as well as
significant conservation
efforts, to address domestic,
agricultural, and industrial
water supply needs.
In California alone, nearly
2,600 wells serving domestic
needs and affecting
approximately 13,000
residents have gone dry
or are critically close to
being dry as groundwater
pumping increased by an
estimated 6 million acre-feet
in 2015. Land subsidence is
affecting vital infrastructure.
2016 Groundwater Fly-In
Drought Response
Legislation
Issue: California and Western states have multiple needs for water to
supply domestic, agricultural, and industrial needs, as well as maintain
watershed wildlife and aquatic habitat. Drought conditions in the
West have increased reliance on groundwater, resulting in subsidence,
overdrafting of aquifers, and dry wells.
A discussion draft proposed by Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-California)
contains important measures to boost groundwater sustainability and
resilience:
• $150 million grant increase to communities of 60,000 or fewer
people for emergency water supplies and new water sources,
including wells and connecting to other water systems, and
assistance to households to connect to public water systems
• $600 million in assistance for storage projects to 2021
• $350 million in assistance for storage and conveyance, integrated
water management, reclamation and recycling/reuse, and
groundwater recharge projects
• $100 million in assistance for desalination research, demonstration
project feasibility and design, and siting plans
• Desalination grant eligibility to include reduction of withdrawals
from aquifers and mitigation of saltwater intrusion to aquifers
• $200 million competitive grants program for new water recycling
and reuse projects, including impaired groundwater
• $200 million DOI Reclamation infrastructure finance program (loans
and loan guarantees) including projects addressing impaired and
brackish groundwater, and groundwater replenishment and storage.
NGWA position: Sustaining groundwater resources to meet agricultural
and domestic needs requires a multipronged approach of conservation,
new infrastructure and technologies, locally adapted management
approaches, monitoring of the resource status and use, and managed
aquifer recharge as insurance against shortages.
NGWA supports passage of legislation that provides support for
both short-term and long-term initiatives for drought recovery.
For more information visit:
NGWA.ORG
CONTACT: LAUREN SCHAPKER
NGWA GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS DIRECTOR
202 888.9151 OR LSCHAPKER@NGWA.ORG