The problem in California is that there is absolutely no regulation over groundwater pumping, and, from the looks of things, there won’t be any for many years to come. The farmers loathe the idea, and in California “the farmers” are the likes of Exxon, Tenneco, and Getty Oil. Out
California groundwater regulation was enacted in 2014 by the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, but it is not comprehensively managed, and significant gaps exist in its coverage. A recent Stanford Water in the West study found that it protects less than 2% of California’s groundwater.
