Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA)
The historic passage of SGMA in 2014 set forth a statewide framework to help protect groundwater resources over the long-term. SGMA is comprised from a three-bill legislative package, including AB 1739 (Dickinson), SB 1168 (Pavley), and SB 1319 (Pavley), and subsequent statewide Regulations. In signing SGMA, then-Governor Jerry Brown emphasized that “groundwater management in California is best accomplished locally.”
SGMA requires locals agencies to form groundwater sustainability agencies (GSAs) for the high and medium priority basins. GSAs develop and implement groundwater sustainability plans (GSPs) to avoid undesirable results and mitigate overdraft within 20 years.
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How SGMA regulations affect growers
GROUNDWATER PUMPING IS LIMITED
As part of the SGMA, growers must expect to face limitations on groundwater pumping to mitigate overdraft.
WATER IS GETTING MORE EXPENSIVE
In general, cost per acre-foot is increasing. In addition, SGMA gives GSAs legal tools to enforce GSP implementation funding, such as:
- Over-Extraction Fines: penalties for exceeding allocation limits
- Per-Acre Assessments: land area usage
- Water Market Fees: allocating projects costs to projects beneficiaries
- Extraction Fees: estimated pumping quantities
SURFACE WATER ALLOCATIONS ARE REDUCED
Regulatory processes initiated by the State of California and the federal government will limit surface water allocations.
How Hortau can help with SGMA
WE TRACK AND REPORT WATER USAGE PRECISELY
Make sure you pay for the water you actually use.
Our Flowmeter Monitoring Service provides complete, accurate water use data. This data will be essential should you wish to challenge the GSA yearly findings. For data to be accurate, a flowmeter must capture water use any time the pump is running. Seems simple, however common causes of missed or inaccurate data stem from dead batteries, improper installation, and vandalism. Hortau monitors for these aspects and proactively sends alerts to our Field Service Technicians to take a closer look when issues arise.
During the season accumulated water use is calculated in real time and displayed via our website or mobile App accessible 24/7.
When needed, water use reports can be generated for any time period with little effort.
Our Well-Depth Monitoring Service allows to track over time the static water level, drawdown, and recovery. For data to be accurate, we use a commercial grade sonic water level sensor that provides data through Modbus connectivity. Even though the sonic water level sensor does not require annual re-calibration, Hortau monitors for any technical issue arising and proactively sends alerts to our Field Service Technicians to take a closer look when issues arise.
WE HELP YOU FOCUS ON CROP HEALTH TO OPTIMIZE WATER USAGE
Just use the water your crops need to produce the most at the best quality.
Hortau has developed and patented a new tensiometer that sends field data to the cloud in real time. By using soil tension, farm managers can better understand the three main components to irrigation water efficiency: the soil’s water holding capacity, hydrology, and crop water uptake. This information is used to precisely determine when and how long to run an irrigation set for maximum efficiency and crop health, avoiding excessive over pumping fees.
Over the past two decades we have learned what it takes for growers to be successful : Accurate, reliable data easily interpreted, actionable information that can only be provided by a team of Field technicians and experienced agronomic advisors. As a service-based technology provider, we strive to help growers realize the highest return on their investment.
WE HELP YOU MONITOR AND CONTROL YOUR IRRIGATION REMOTELY
Save on pumping costs by optimizing energy, labor and water fees.
Our Irrigation Automation Service allows growers to monitor and control irrigation events remotely. Growers can save a lot of time and money by avoiding to go on-site to monitor pumping and by scheduling their irrigations during off-peak hours.
GROWER STORY : how a grower saved 68% on his monthly water bill and saved 114 Acres-feet in 2021 while boosting growth on his new planting
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