< return to Water Package main page

Photo: Department of Water Resources

Improved Groundwater Monitoring (Senate Bill No.6)

SB 6 requires, for the first time in California’s history, that local agencies monitor the elevation of their groundwater basins to help better manage the resource during both normal water years and drought conditions. Specifically, this bill:

• Requires the Department of Water Resources (DWR) to establish a priority schedule for the monitoring of groundwater basins and the review of groundwater elevation reports, and to make recommendations local entities to improve the monitoring programs.
  
• Requires DWR to assist local monitoring entities with compliance with this statute.
  
  
• Allows local entities to determine regionally how best to set up their groundwater monitoring program, crafting the program to meet their local circumstances.
  
  
• Provides landowners with protections from trespass by state or local entities.
  
  
• Provides that if the local agencies fail to implement a monitoring program and/or fail to provide the required reports, DWR may implement the groundwater monitoring program for that region.
  
  
• Provides that failure to implement a monitoring program will result in the loss of eligibility for state grant funds by the county and the agencies responsible for performing the monitoring duties.
  

< return to Water Package main page