SGMA Best Management Practice: Groundwater Monitoring Protocols, Standards, and Sites

The objective of this Best Management Practice (BMP) is to assist in the development of Monitoring Protocols. The California Department of Water Resources (the Department or DWR) has developed this document as part of the obligation in the Technical Assistance chapter (Chapter 7) of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) to support the long-term sustainability of California’s groundwater basins. Information provided in this BMP provides technical assistance to Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSAs) and other stakeholders to aid in the establishment of consistent data collection processes and procedures. In addition, this BMP can be used by GSAs to adopt a set of sampling and measuring procedures that will yield similar data regardless of the monitoring personnel. Finally, this BMP identifies available resources to support the development of monitoring protocols.

This BMP includes the following sections:

1. Objective. A brief description of how and where monitoring protocols are required under SGMA and the overall objective of this BMP.
2. Use and Limitations. A brief description of the use and limitations of this BMP.
3. Monitoring Protocol Fundamentals. A description of the general approach and background of groundwater monitoring protocols.
4. Relationship of Monitoring Protocols to other BMPs. A description of how this BMP is connected with other BMPS.
5. Technical Assistance. Technical content providing guidance for regulatory sections.
6. Key Definitions. Descriptions of definitions identified in the GSP Regulations or SGMA.
7. Related Materials. References and other materials that provide supporting information related to the development of Groundwater Monitoring Protocols.