Santa Ynez River Valley Groundwater Basin

Best Management Practices (BMP) for the Sustainable Management of Groundwater

These BMP documents were provided by California Department of Water Resources (DWR) Sustainable Groundwater Management Program to guide in creation of the Groundwater Sustainabilty Plan (GSP).

BMP - Hydrogeologic Conceptual Model

Assist in the use and development of hydrogeologic conceptual models (HCM). This BMP identifies available resources to support development of HCMs.

This BMP includes the following sections:
1. Objective. The objective and brief description of the contents of this BMP.
2. Use and Limitations. A brief description of the use and limitations of this BMP.
3. HCM Fundamentals. A description of HCM fundamental concepts.
4. Relationship of HCM to other BMPs. A description of how the HCM relates to other BMPs and is the basis for development of other GSP requirements.
5. Technical Assistance. A description of technical assistance to support the development of a HCM and potential sources of information and relevant datasets that can be used to further define each component.
6. Key Definitions. Definitions relevant for this BMP as provided in the GSP and Basin Boundary Regulations and in SGMA.
7. Related Materials. References and other materials that provide supporting information related to the development of HCMs.

 BMP - Sustainable Management Criteria

Describes activities, practices, and procedures for defining the sustainable management criteria required by the Groundwater Sustainability Plan Regulations (GSP Regulations).

• Characterizes the relationship between the different sustainable management criteria – the sustainability goal, undesirable results, minimum thresholds, and measurable objectives – and describes best management practices for developing these criteria as part of a Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP).

BMP - Water Budget

Identifies available resources to support development, implementation, and reporting of water budget information.

This BMP includes the following sections:

1. Objective. The objective and brief description of the contents of this BMP.
2. Use and Limitations. A brief description of the use and limitations of this BMP.
3. Water Budget Fundamentals. A description of fundamental water budget concepts.
4. Relationship of Water Budgets to other BMPs. A description of how the water budget BMP relates to other BMPs and how water budget information may be used to support development of other GSP requirements.
5. Technical Assistance. A description of technical assistance to support the development of a water budget, potential sources of information, and relevant datasets that can be used to further define each component.
6. Key Definitions. Definitions relevant for this BMP as provided in the GSP Regulations, Basin Boundary Regulations, SGMA, and DWR Bulletin 118.
7. Related Materials. References and other materials that provide supporting information related to the development of water budget estimates.

BMP - Modeling

Provides technical assistance to Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSAs) and other stakeholders on how to address modeling requirements outlined in the Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP) Emergency Regulations (GSP Regulations). This BMP identifies available resources to support the development of groundwater and surface water models.

This BMP includes the following sections:

1. Objective. The objective and outline of the contents of this BMP.
2. Use and Limitations. A description of the use and limitation of this BMP.
3. Modeling Fundamentals. A description of fundamental modeling concepts.
4. Relationship of modeling to other BMPs. A description of how modeling relates to other BMPs and is a tool used to develop other GSP requirements.
5. Technical Assistance. A description of technical assistance for the development of a model, potential sources of information, and relevant datasets that can be used to further define model components.
6. Key Definitions. Definitions relevant for this BMP as provided in the GSP Regulations, Basin Boundary Regulations, and SGMA.
7. Related Materials. References and other materials related to the development of models.

BMP - Monitoring Networks and Identification of Data Gaps

Provides technical assistance to Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSAs) and other stakeholders to aid in the development of a monitoring network that is capable of providing sustainability indicator data of sufficient accuracy and quantity to demonstrate that the basin is being sustainably managed. In addition, this BMP is intended to provide information on how to identify and plan to resolve data gaps to reduce uncertainty that may be necessary to improve the ability of the GSP to achieve the sustainability goal for the basin.

This BMP includes the following sections:

1. Objective. A brief description of how and where monitoring networks are required under Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (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 Network Fundamentals. A description of the general approach and background of groundwater monitoring networks.
4. Relationship of Monitoring Network to other BMPs. A description of how this BMP is connected with other BMPs.
5. Technical Assistance. Technical content of BMP providing guidance for regulatory sections.
6. Key Definitions. Descriptions of those definitions identified in the GSP Regulations, SGMA, or Basin Boundary Regulations.
7. Related Materials. References and other materials that provide supporting information related to the development of Groundwater Monitoring Networks.

BMP - Monitoring Protocols, Standards, and Sites

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.