SGMA & Citizen Science

For nearly a century, Northern California’s economy relied primarily on forestry and farming. Regional politics are, thus, generally predisposed against science and regulation, particularly as they pertain to land and water use. Consequently, Siskiyou County suffers from serious data gaps that disregard vital signs, and deny thresholds for sustainable resource management. In order to build political will for climate preparedness in Northern California, citizens must become sufficiently informed to ensure that sound science guides good governance.

Passage of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) in 2016 launched California’s long-term efforts to regulate groundwater pumping and limit depletion of aquifers. Through participation with state-endorsed IRWM (voluntary) and SGMA (mandatory) programs, the MWC advocates use of relevant data, such as groundwater elevation, stream flows and snowpack, to guide natural resource decision-making in the the region.

Compared to some basins in the state, McCloud is relatively heathy, and not a high-priority for regulation. We are, therefore, tracking development of Groundwater Sustainability Plans (GSP’s) in neighboring Shasta and Butte Valley’s, to represent grassroots interests, ensure good use of science, and prepare for the day when California will regulate groundwater pumping in McCloud.

Over the years, we have discovered important scientific information that is simply not available on the public domain. The quantity of water extracted and exported by water-bottling companies, for example, is considered proprietary and is not subject to citizen oversight. In order to improve the way that science informs natural resource decision-making, the MWC is working with local partners to build a cohesive, current, publicly accessible database built around ecological data in Mount Shasta’s source watersheds.

Ultimately, we envision the public and private sectors uniting efforts to inform, empower and employ a new generation of citizen scientists and climate advocates working toward ecosystem restoration in strategic headwater regions.