WHEREAS, Groundwater is one of California’s most precious natural resources, representing 40 percent or more of California’s water supply in dry years; and

WHEREAS, California withdraws an average of 13 billion gallons of groundwater each day for rural, municipal, industrial, agricultural, and environmental uses; and

WHEREAS, Groundwater is a renewable resource that to some extent, is replenished naturally, but which also requires active management to maximize available supplies; and

WHEREAS, Groundwater is currently being depleted by an average of 425 billion gallons per year in California, causing declining groundwater levels and degrading groundwater quality; and

WHEREAS, California’s increasing population will continue to place new demands on our groundwater resources, through groundwater quality impacts, extraction, transfer, consumption, recharge interception, and supply diversions; and

WHEREAS, Many Californians are not aware that groundwater is an important source of water supply for the state; and

WHEREAS, The voters have recently approved three bond measures with substantial funding for groundwater protection and storage, and the Legislature has implemented several programs to encourage and assist local agencies in managing and protecting groundwater resources; and

WHEREAS, Substantial challenges lie ahead in order to sustain, protect, and manage California’s groundwater resources; and

WHEREAS, California must act through water conservation, public education, water reuse, artificial recharge, conjunctive management, improved source water protection, and other means, to address the increasing demands on our groundwater resources; and

WHEREAS, The Assembly has formed a Select Committee on Groundwater Quality and Availability to study California’s groundwater successes and challenges, and to evaluate opportunities for assisting local agencies in protecting and improving the management of this precious and limited resource, while preserving existing water rights; and

WHEREAS, Declaring May as Groundwater Awareness Month is an important statewide tool for raising awareness among governmental officials and the public about the nature and scope of the challenges ahead; now, therefore, be it