Quick Facts

The Pleasant Valley Subbasin is about 48,159 acres with one GSP being prepared collectively by the three GSAs within the subbasin – Fresno County Pleasant Valley GSA Area, City of Coalinga GSA and Pleasant Valley GSA.

 

  • The PVGSA includes over 34,000 acres  of which about 21,000 acres are cultivated.

 

  • There are nearly 10,000 acres of pistachios, recognized as a high value crop.

 

  • Landowners operate over 80 active groundwater wells, many of which are monitored electronically.

 

  • The Subbasin is rated as Medium priority by the California Department of Water Resources.

 

  • The Subbasin is considered “Closed” due to and Anticline running north to south along the basin’s eastern boundary.

 

  • Studies indicate a potential water storage capacity of 1,000,000 acre feet.

 

  • The District’s landowners have begun importing surface supplies to offset overdraft of its groundwater supply.

What is SGMA?

  • In 2014, legislation passed that provides a statewide framework for sustainable groundwater management in California (SB 1168, AB 1739, and SB 1319). This legislation, collectively referred to as the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), is intended to support local groundwater management through the oversight of local agencies. An overarching goal of SGMA is to achieve a sustainable groundwater balance in each basin or sub-basin by 20 years after the GSP implementation.

    SGMA defines “sustainable groundwater management” as the management and use of groundwater in a manner that can be maintained during the planning and implementation horizon without causing undesirable results. SGMA then defines “undesirable result” as one or more of the following effects caused by groundwater conditions occurring throughout the basin:

    • Chronic lowering of groundwater levels indicating a significant and unreasonable depletion of supply if continued over the planning and implementation horizon

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    • Significant and unreasonable reduction of groundwater storage

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    • Significant and unreasonable seawater intrusion

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    • Significant and unreasonable degraded water quality, including the migration of contaminant plumes that impair water supplies

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    • Significant and unreasonable land subsidence that substantially interferes with surface land uses

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    • Depletions of interconnected surface water that has significant and unreasonable adverse impacts on beneficial uses of the surface water

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