Kern County Subbasin

On February 20, 2025, the State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board or Board) held a public hearing to consider a probationary designation for the Kern County Subbasin under the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA). At the hearing, the Board members heard presentations from State Water Board staff, groundwater sustainability agencies (GSAs), and other interested parties, and received public comments, before deciding to continue the hearing to September 17, 2025.

By continuing the hearing, the State Water Board is providing more time for Kern County Subbasin GSAs to finish resolving identified deficiencies in their groundwater sustainability plans (GSPs) before the Board members decide whether to designate the Subbasin as probationary. The State Water Board's resolution to continue the hearing requests that the Subbasin GSAs provide their revised draft GSPs by June 20, 2025, to allow the GSAs a reasonable additional period of time to correct the existing deficiencies and also give the Board time to evaluate and consider those draft plans in advance of the continued hearing date. At the continued hearing, the State Water Board will provide another opportunity for public input in evaluating any updated GSPs that are submitted.

The continued hearing will be conducted in accordance with the Notice of Public Hearing issued on July 25, 2024.

• Probationary Hearing
  • Notice | Aviso
  • Probationary Hearing Agenda | Agenda de audiencia probatoria | ਪ੍ਰੋਬੇਸ਼ਨਰੀ ਸੰਬੰਧੀ ਸੁਣਵਾਈ ਦਾ ਏਜੰਡਾ
  • Probationary Hearing Video | Video de audiencia probatoria | ਪ੍ਰੋਬੇਸ਼ਨਰੀ ਸੁਣਵਾਈ ਵੀਡੀਓ
  • Final Kern County Subbasin Continuation Resolution
• Final Staff Report
  • Final Staff Report for the Kern County Subbasin (English only)
  • Final Staff Report Executive Summary | Resumen Ejecutivo del Reporte Final del Personal | Kern ਕਾਉਂਟੀ ਸਬ-ਬੇਸਿਨ ਪ੍ਰੋਬੇਸ਼ਨਰੀ ਸੁਣਵਾਈ ਅੰਤਿਮ ਸਟਾਫ਼ ਰਿਪੋਰਟ ਕਾਰਜਕਾਰੀ ਸਾਰ
  • Final Staff Report Appendix A - Summary Table of Proposed Deficiencies and Potential Actions to Address Deficiencies (English Only)
  • Final Staff Report Appendix C - Public Process, Tribal Consultation, and Engagement; Draft Staff Report Comments (English Only)
  • Final Staff Report Appendix D – State Water Board Review of the 2020 Groundwater Sustainability Plans and DWR Incomplete Determination (English Only)
• Draft Staff Report
  • Draft Staff Report for the Kern County Subbasin (English only)
  • Draft Staff Report Executive Summary | Resumen Ejecutivo del Borrador del Reporte del Personal
  • Draft Staff Report Appendix A - Summary Table of Proposed Deficiencies and Potential Actions to Address Deficiencies (English Only)
• Kern Fact Sheet | Hoja de Datos de Kern

Important Dates

These public workshops were opportunities to learn more about the potential State Water Board actions and to provide public comment on the Draft Staff Report for the Kern County Subbasin. No regulatory decisions were made at these workshops. Both workshops had the same content.

Public Workshops – August 2024

• Monday, August 26, 2024
  Virtual public workshop on Zoom from 11:00 AM to 1:30 PM
  Agenda | Agenda en Español | Agenda in Punjabi
  Presentation | Presentación en Español | Presentation in Punjabi
  Video (English)
• Thursday, August 29, 2024
  In-person public workshop in the City of Bakersfield, California from 5:30 PM to 8:30 PM
  Agenda | Agenda en Español | Agenda in Punjabi
  Presentation | Presentación en Español | Presentation in Punjabi

See the workshop flyer for more information:

• Kern County Subbasin SGMA Public Workshop Flyer
• Volante del taller público de SMGA para la cuenca de agua subterránea Kern County

Probationary Hearing – February 20, 2025

On Thursday, February 20, 2025, the State Water Board held a public hearing to consider designating the Kern County Subbasin as a probationary basin under SGMA.

Please see the Probationary Hearing Agenda for more information.

• Probationary Hearing Agenda | Agenda de audiencia probatoria | ਪ੍ਰੋਬੇਸ਼ਨਰੀ ਸੰਬੰਧੀ ਸੁਣਵਾਈ ਦਾ ਏਜੰਡਾ