In a letter dated Jan. 18, 2024, the California Department of Water Resources’ Sustainable Groundwater Management Office notified the Santa Clarita Valley Groundwater Sustainability Agency that the Groundwater Sustainability Plan for the Santa Clara River Valley – Santa Clara River Valley East Subbasin has been approved. The approval comes following the State’s detailed review of the GSP, which was approved by the SCV-GSA Board of Directors on Jan. 3, 2022.

“After a multi-year development process including stakeholder input, our Board approved the GSP in January 2022. Now, approval of the plan by the Department of Water Resources represents an important milestone as we prepare for the future in the Santa Clarita Valley,” said Gary Martin, president of the SCV-GSA Board of Directors. “The GSP helps guide the management of our groundwater basin to ensure that we protect the availability of water for future generations.”

The Santa Clara River Valley East Subbasin provides groundwater for residents, commercial customers and farms in the Santa Clarita Valley. It is also the key source of water supporting the local environment.

The GSP provides specific details on the approach to ensure a sustainable balance between groundwater pumping and recharge for the future and takes into consideration both population growth and climate change. It also considers the protection of ecological systems in the Santa Clara River. The plan is required under the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, which was passed in 2014 to protect groundwater resources throughout California. The GSP can be accessed online at scvgsa.org, along with videos, fact sheets and other information on groundwater conditions, sustainable management criteria and groundwater dependent ecosystems.

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About the Santa Clarita Valley Groundwater Sustainability Agency:
The Santa Clarita Valley Groundwater Sustainability Agency (SCV-GSA) is a joint powers authority responsible for sustainably managing groundwater in the Santa Clara River Valley East Subbasin. The agency is governed by a seven-member board that includes four people appointed by SCV Water, and one member each appointed by the city of Santa Clarita, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and Los Angeles County Waterworks Division 36. The SCV-GSA’s overall goal is to achieve sustainable groundwater management of our subbasin within 20 years.

For more information, please contact Kevin Strauss, SCV Water communications manager, at kstrauss@scvwa.org.