SACRAMENTO, Calif. - The Bureau of Reclamation released today draft changes to the Groundwater Banking Guidelines for Central Valley Project Water. The guidelines, originally published in 2014, outline when Reclamation may approve banking and recovering of Central Valley Project water outside of a contractor’s service area.
In response to the state of California’s implementation of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, Reclamation proposes changes to the guidelines to allow for flexible groundwater banking programs that are consistent and in compliance with state and federal laws.
The draft changes are meant to allow for the use of Central Valley Project water to achieve sustainable groundwater management within Central Valley Project contractors’ sub-basins as identified in the state of California’s Bulletin 118.
The guidelines with marked draft changes are available for review here. Comments are due by May 24 at 5:00 pm PTD. Email comments to slooper@usbr.gov. Written comments may be sent to Sheri Looper, Bureau of Reclamation-MP 400, 2800 Cottage Way, Sacramento, CA, 95825.
For additional information or to request a copy of the documents, contact Looper at 916-978-5556 (TTY 800-877-8339) or slooper@usbr.gov.
Source: Bureau of Reclamation
