California Groundwater Association News

CGA Is pleased to announce a July Education event.

David Evener — Tue, 20 May 2025 14:25:16 GMT

Join us in Monterey at the Hilton Garden Inn on July 10th, 2025 for a day of education and conversation centered on Groundwater!

Speakers and Topics will include:

Bill Peddler - Geophysical Tools Used in Construction of water wells
Dave Schulenberg - PFAS and what the contractor and Association need to know.
Dan Hedman - Water Wells 101
Julie Haas - Bulletin 74 Update

Registration will be coming soon and announced to all contacts in the database!

2025 Annual Conference dates announced!

David Evener — Tue, 13 May 2025 14:26:47 GMT

Join us in Reno at the Atlantis for our annual event.

Monday September 29 through Wednesday October 1, 2025!

Registration information coming soon!

Awesome Aquifer Kit now available!

(Past member) — Wed, 28 Aug 2019 17:03:30 GMT

Looking for a great way to educate kids on what an aquifer is and how it works? Check out AwesomeAquifer.com for information on how to get your own Awesome Aquifer Kit!

SGMA Fact Sheet!

David Evener — Thu, 25 May 2017 21:30:52 GMT

There is an important date coming up on July 1, 2017 for those basins who have not formed a GSA. Please read carefully if you are on one of these areas.

Click here to read the Emergency Regulation for Implementation of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act Fact Sheet.

Bulletin 74 draft update

David Evener — Tue, 21 Feb 2017 21:29:26 GMT

Click here to read the Bulletin 74 draft.

Well Construction Standards Update

David Evener — Fri, 17 Feb 2017 21:28:05 GMT

CGA members are active in the development of many of the standards that are required by state law. The Depart of Water Resources (DWR) is required to develop minimum standards for water wells, cathodic protection wells, and geothermal heat exchange wells (GHEW). Those standards are included in three separate documents. The current Well Construction Standards are found in Bulletin 74-81 approved in 1981. Bulletin 74-90 and GHEW standards, issued as draft documents in 1991 and 1999 respectively, have provided supplemental updates.

CGA has long supported the updating of the standards and the combining of the three documents into one. It has been over 25 years since these standards have been updated. New technology, changes in construction techniques, and the passage of new groundwater legislation make the need for updating these standards a high priority to protect the State’s groundwater.

Concerns in the groundwater industry and in local regulatory agencies about the urgency to update well construction standards led to the formation of a combined effort in 2010 by CGA, the California Conference of Directors of Environmental Health (CCDEH), and the California Environmental Health Association (CEHA). A three-year effort culminated in September of 2013 with a draft document that was submitted to DWR for review. As of this date, the DWR has still not issued an updated final document.

CGA is requesting support from the California Legislature to force the DWR to finish their review of the draft Water Well Construction Standards and publish them in a timely manner, so that the eventual implementation can assure that the State’s groundwater resource can be protected as new groundwater management practices are developed.