Adjudication Lawsuit
On July 10, 2023, the Santa Barbara Superior Court issued a statement of decision adopting a judgment in Las Posas Valley Water Rights Coalition, et al. v. Fox Canyon Groundwater Management Agency, Santa Barbara Sup. Ct. Case No. VENC100509700 (LPV Judgment). The LPV Judgment adjudicates all groundwater rights in the Las Posas Valley Groundwater Basin (Basin) and provides for the Basin’s sustainable management pursuant to the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA).
The LPV Judgment appoints Fox Canyon Groundwater Management Agency (FCGMA) as the Watermaster to implement and administer the LPV Judgment. FCGMA remains responsible for implementing and complying with SGMA and the Fox Canyon Groundwater Management Agency Act.
The Final Judgment is available online at: https://fcgma.org/las-posas-valley-watermaster/
Groundwater users in the Las Posas Valley Basin should ensure they are receiving communications from the Watermaster. Please review the contact information in Watermaster’s service list at: https://fcgma.org/wm_service_list/.
Please visit https://fcgma.org/las-posas-valley-watermaster/forms-and-documents/ to review your information is on file with the Watermaster. If you need to make any corrections, or if you have any questions, contact Watermaster at LPV.Watermaster@ventura.org.
Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA)
On January 1, 2015, the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) became effective signaling a new era in groundwater management in California. The SGMA of 2014 is a tripartite package that establishes a new structure for local authorities to sustainably manage their groundwater basins, with a limited role for state intervention only if necessary. The legislation lays out a process and timeline for local authorities to achieve sustainable management of groundwater basins. The act requires the formation of local groundwater sustainability agencies (GSAs) that must assess conditions in their local groundwater basins and adopt locally-based management plans for certain basins.
Groundwater basins designated as high or medium priority and critically overdrafted must be managed under a groundwater sustainability plan (GSP) or a coordinated groundwater sustainability plan by January 31, 2020. All other high and medium priority basins must be managed under a GSP by January 31, 2022. The Las Posas Valley Groundwater Basin is designated as a "high priority" basin.
The Fox Canyon GMA Board adopted the Las Posas Valley Basin GSP at a public hearing on December 13, 2019. The California Department of Water Resources (DWR) approved the GSP on January 13, 2022. Following adoption of the GSP, the Regulations require that an annual report for the prior Water Year (WY) be submitted to the Department of Water Resources by April 1 of each year. The Posas Valley Basin Annual Report for WY 2025 was submitted to DWR in March 2026.
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