WHEREAS, Groundwater is a vital natural resource essential to the health, safety, and prosperity of both urban and rural California residents and to the functioning of California’s many industries, including agriculture; and

WHEREAS, Groundwater accounts for 41 percent of the state’s total annual water supply on average, and as much as 58 percent of the total annual water supply in critically dry years; and

WHEREAS, About 83 percent of Californians depend on groundwater for some portion of their water supply, and many communities are 100 percent reliant on groundwater for all of their water needs; and

WHEREAS, As climate change leads to reduced snowpack and reduced availability of water in California’s streams and rivers, the demand for groundwater to fulfill California’s water needs will only increase with time; and

WHEREAS, The Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) (Part 2.74 (commencing with Section 10720) of Division 6 of the Water Code) was passed into law in September 2014, establishing a new structure for the management of groundwater resources in California while clearly recognizing that groundwater management is most effectively and efficiently accomplished locally; and

WHEREAS, In their efforts to implement SGMA, groundwater sustainability agencies throughout the state are creating and implementing groundwater sustainability plans to sustainably manage groundwater basins through efforts like reductions to groundwater pumping, the development and implementation of projects that benefit the overall sustainability of our water supply, and protecting and replenishing groundwater aquifers; and

WHEREAS, Assembly Bill 685 (Chapter 524 of the Statutes of 2012) was passed into law in September 2012, making California the first state in the nation to recognize that “every human being has the right to safe, clean, affordable, and accessible water adequate for human consumption, cooking, and sanitary purposes”; and

WHEREAS, The ongoing responsible management of groundwater will be crucial in meeting both the requirements of SGMA and ensuring every Californian’s right to water; and

WHEREAS, The National Ground Water Association declares that a full week of March each year shall be known as Groundwater Awareness Week to bring awareness through education and public outreach to the importance of effective management, protection, and conservation of groundwater resources; now, therefore, be it