Bulletin 118
Bulletin 118 - Update 2003
The long-awaited update to California's Groundwater, Bulletin 118 was released to the public in early October 2003. Bulletin 118 - Update 2003 is the first comprehensive report on groundwater since 1980 when Bulletin 118-80 was published.
The published report includes:
Chapter 1: Growing reliance on one of California's most important natural resources
Chapter 2: Complex legal and institutional framework and the current groundwater management system
Chapter 3: Recommendations for a model groundwater management ordinance and groundwater management plan
Chapter 4: The effect of recent activity in the Legislature and at the ballot box
Chapter 5: State and federal programs with a variety of objectives
Chapter 6: Concepts and definitions for a wide audience
Chapter 7: Basin characteristics and concerns in California's 10 hydrologic regions
California's Groundwater includes guidance and tools that will assist local agencies in effectively managing groundwater as a sustainable part of their water supplies. California's Groundwater includes a description of current groundwater management efforts by local water agencies, required and recommended components of effective groundwater management plans, and a model ordinance that can be used by local governments. In addition, the bulletin describes the roles of state and federal agencies in protecting groundwater quantity and quality.
Online technical descriptions and GIS compatible maps of 515 groundwater basins and subbasins were part of the effort to publish the bulletin. The basin/subbasin descriptions include information about the geology, groundwater quantity and quality, and current groundwater management practices in the basins. This supplemental material will be updated as new information becomes available.