Merced Groundwater Subbasin

Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA)

Public Draft materials (2025 GSP + 2025 Periodic Evaluation) are now available.

Comments are requested by November 22, 2024. Click here to view draft materials.

Overview

This website provides information on sustainable groundwater management activities, meetings, and resources in the Merced Groundwater Subbasin. The Merced Groundwater Subbasin is one of 21 basins in the State of California identified by the California Department of Water Resources as critically overdrafted and one of 46 basins considered high priority. Consistent with the requirements of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), water management and land management agencies in Merced Subbasin formed three Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSAs): the Merced Irrigation-Urban Groundwater Sustainability Agency, the Merced Subbasin Groundwater Sustainability Agency, and the Turner Island Water District Groundwater Sustainability Agency #1. The three GSAs collaborated to develop one Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP) for the entire Merced Groundwater Subbasin, which was submitted to DWR in January 2020. The GSP was revised in July 2022 in response to DWR's evaluation of the January 2020 GSP. The revised GSP is currently being implemented.

NOI TO PREPARE MERCED SUBBASIN GSP

NOI TO ADOPT MERCED SUBBASIN GSP

Merced SGMA Process

The Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, passed in 2014, requires the formation of local Groundwater Sustainability Agencies to oversee the development and implementation of Groundwater Sustainability Plans, with the ultimate goal of achieving sustainable management of the state's groundwater basins. Three GSAs have been formed in the Merced Subbasin. These GSAs met the regulatory deadline of developing and adopting one or more GSPs for the Merced Groundwater Subbasin by January 31, 2020. Further, the GSAs met the 180 day regulatory deadline to respond to DWR's evaluation of that plan, which was dated January 28, 2022

This website previously provided provide updates on preparation of the GSP for the Merced Groundwater Subbasin, and is currently used to provide updates on GSP implementation, including meeting announcements and availability of annual reports, GSP updates, and other relevant documents.

Merced Subbasin Public Draft 2025 Groundwater Sustainability Plan & Periodic Evaluation

Available for Public Review and Comment

The Draft 2025 GSP and Draft 2025 Periodic Evaluation are both available for public review and comment for a 30-day public comment period through November 22, 2024. The full documents are available on the Resources page.

Comments on either document can be submitted by email to contact@mercedsgma.org by end of day November 22, 2024.

Adopted Revised Merced Subbasin Groundwater Sustainability Plan – July 2022

The GSP was updated in several key places to respond to comments and corrective actions contained in the Statement of Findings Regarding the Determination of Incomplete Status of the San Joaquin Valley - Merced Subbasin Groundwater Sustainability Plan published by DWR in January 2022. The revision was developed openly and transparently with substantial input from the public. The revised GSP has been adopted by the three GSAs after holding public hearings for each respective GSA. The adopted revised Merced Subbasin GSP and redline copy showing the revisions are both available on the Resources page. Further, the revised GSP will be posted by DWR on their SGMA Portal along with an interface to allow for public comment for 60 days after the posted date.

Adopted Merced Subbasin Groundwater Sustainability Plan – November 2019

The three GSAs in the Merced Groundwater Subbasin each adopted the Merced Subbasin Groundwater Sustainability Plan after holding public hearings for each respective GSA. The GSP was submitted to the California Department of Water Resources by January 31, 2020. The adopted Merced Subbasin GSP is available on the Resources page.

Upcoming Meetings

The GSAs are in the GSP implementation phase. From late 2023 through 2024, the GSAs are developing a 5-year update to the GSP which will involve public meetings approximately every other month. Information on future Coordination Committee and Stakeholder Advisory Committee meetings will be posted here as it becomes available and transmitted to the MercedSGMA listserv.

Date & Time	Name	Location
Next Coordination Committee and Stakeholder Advisory Committee meetings are expected to be Jan/Feb 2025

Information on future Coordination Committee and Stakeholder Committee meetings will be posted here when available. Meetings are open to the public and there is time scheduled on the agenda for public comments. The agenda for upcoming meeting will be posted at least 48 hours prior to the meeting. Please be sure to check back here for updates and sign up below to receive email notifications about public meetings.

Merced SGMA Fact Sheets

Learn about the future of groundwater in the Merced Groundwater Subbasin with these informational handouts from a recent Public Meeting:

Fact Sheet en español

Guidelines for Submitting Groundwater Data

To assist in development of the GSP, interested parties have requested the ability to submit groundwater level measurement data. Existing monitoring data can be accessed via the Data Management System. To allow for data submittal while striving for high quality data, it is requested that any such submittals meet the following general criteria:

Well characteristics must be known: latitude/longitude coordinates, ground surface elevation, total well completion depth, and screened interval depth(s)
For each groundwater level measurement:

Must be made under static conditions
Must include the distance from ground surface to reference point (access tube, mark on casing, etc.)
Must include the distance from reference point to water surface (see CASGEM Guidelines for more information specific to measurement method used)
Must include the current use of the well (domestic, irrigation, industrial, municipal, monitoring)

Data must be provided in an electronic format. Please use and complete both of the templates provided in the links below. There are two templates: one for groundwater elevation data and one for site-specific information. Both have a “read me” tab with instructions on how to complete the templates.