Sustainable Groundwater Management

Valley Water has managed groundwater resources in Santa Clara County since 1929, and conditions have been sustainable for many decades due to our activities that protect and augment groundwater supplies. In 2014, Governor Brown signed the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) to promote local, sustainable groundwater management.

For basins designated as medium and high priority by the state, SGMA requires local Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSAs) to develop and implement Groundwater Sustainability Plans (GSPs) or Alternatives to achieve sustainability. Valley Water is the GSA for the Santa Clara and Llagas Subbasins (the primary basins in the county) and the small portions of the North San Benito Subbasin in Santa Clara County. SGMA compliance for these basins is described below.

Valley Water has completed the draft 2026 Groundwater Management Plan for the Santa Clara and Llagas subbasins, which is the second periodic evaluation of the Department of Water Resources (DWR) approved Alternative Plan.

SGMA requires GSAs, like Valley Water, to submit five-year periodic evaluations for approved Alternative Plans. The periodic evaluations describe how Plan implementation, projects, and management actions are meeting the basin sustainability goals.

To view the draft 2026 Groundwater Management Plan, please click on this link:

2026 Groundwater Management Plan for the Santa Clara and Llagas Subbasins

Valley Water will accept written comments on the draft 2026 Groundwater Management Plan until September 25, 2026 at 5:00 pm. Please submit comments by email to:

Jason Gurdak, Groundwater Management Unit Manager
Email: [email protected]

A public hearing on the draft 2026 Groundwater Management Plan is expected to be held at the Valley Water Board of Directors meeting on November 10, 2026. Valley Water will provide interested parties with more information on meeting details, including instructions on how to submit written or oral comments for the public hearing.

December 17, 2026 is the deadline for Valley Water to submit the final 2026 Groundwater Management Plan to DWR.

July 30, 2026 Groundwater Management Plan Public Meeting

Valley Water welcomes public feedback on the potential updates to our Groundwater Management Plan and encourages you to join us at our July 30, 2026, public meeting. Valley Water updates its Groundwater Management Plan every five years per the state's Sustainable Groundwater Management Act. These updates help ensure this important resource continues to be sustainably managed.

To view the presentation, click here

To view the meeting recording, click here

To view a summary of the questions and answers, click here.

Santa Clara and Llagas Subbasins

In 2019, DWR approved Valley Water’s 2016 Groundwater Management Plan (GWMP) for the Santa Clara and Llagas Subbasins as an Alternative, determining it satisfies the objectives of SGMA. Periodic evaluations of approved plans are required at least every five years, so Valley Water submitted the Board-adopted 2021 GWMP to the Department of Water Resources (DWR) in December 2021. In June 2024, DWR approved the 2021 GWMP confirming the Alternative satisfies the objectives of SGMA and complies with related regulations.

Valley Water is currently in the process of developing the 2026 GWMP, which is the second periodic evaluation to the approved Alternative and due to DWR in December 2026. As part of the 2026 GWMP, Valley Water will build on the 2021 GWMP and address DWR’s recommendations. Valley Water will provide outreach to interested parties by email, social media posts, and public meetings, including the Board’s Water Supply and Demand Management Committee and Agricultural Water Advisory Committee.

Anticipated public review period is September to October, 2026.

Annual reports must be submitted to DWR by April 1 of each year for the previous water year (October 1 to September 30). Links to Valley Water’s SGMA periodic evaluation, recent water year report, and DWR’s SGMA portal are below.

If you would like to receive information about SGMA compliance in the North San Benito Subbasin, please contact Barbara Mauro, SBCWD Board Clerk, at [email protected].

This webpage was last updated on February 18, 2026. For questions, please contact us at [email protected].