Groundwater Trading Workshops - California Water Commission, October 28, 2021

The California Water Commission, in support of Water Resilience PortfolioAction 3.6, will hold public workshops to explore ways that the State can support in-basin, locally led groundwater trading programs that ensure protections for communities,small- and medium-size farms, and the environment. The public is encouraged to share their ideas and concerns on groundwater trading at one or more of these scheduled workshops:

Thursday, October 28, 2021– 2:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.        Registration

Friday, October 29, 2021– 9:30 a.m. to noon.              Registration

Info: (916) 873-5774, cwc@cwc.ca.gov

View agenda.

Groundwater trading programs are one of the tools that Groundwater Sustainability Agencies can use to help manage pumping within their basins as they work to comply with the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act. Well-managed groundwater trading is based on sound water accounting, careful groundwater allocations, strong stakeholder engagement, and trading rules that avoid negative impacts. The Commission will gather information and test assumptions at the workshops regarding opportunities and concerns around groundwater trading; potential impacts to ecosystems, farms, and communities; and an appropriate state role in groundwater trading. The Commission hopes to hear from diverse participants about how groundwater trading could impact or benefit them. 

The Commission will use the information gathered at these workshops to help formulate a policy paper witha set of conclusions around how to shape well-managed groundwater trading programs with appropriate safeguards for vulnerable water users. The Commission’s work will outline next steps the State could take to advance well-managed groundwater trading.The draft paper will be available for public comment before it is finalized in early 2022. For more information on the workshops and the Commission’s work on groundwater trading programs, visitcwc.ca.gov/Programs-and-Topics.