Water Law Commons^™

The Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (Sgma): Long Overdue, But Is It Living Up To Its Potential?, Bailey Mknelly

Scripps Senior Theses

This thesis discusses the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), California’s first statewide groundwater regulatory legislation. The act established the formation of groundwater basins and local governing bodies called Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSAs) which are tasked with creating Groundwater Sustainability Plans (GSPs). More specifically, this thesis examines how the structure of GSAs affects stakeholder accessibility, community engagement, and transparency. Through a collection of four interviews as well as the use of primary and secondary sources, this paper will explore the potential, and the ultimate shortcomings of SGMAs transparency, particularly in ensuring clean, safe water to historically disenfranchised communities. Using Kern and …