Speaker: Peter Vorster, (Friends of the River)
The San Joaquin River from Friant Dam to the Merced River and the Lower Kern River through the City of Bakersfield are vital waterways for water supply, fisheries, and the residents of the San Joaquin Valley who have been deprived of healthy rivers by excess surface water diversions and groundwater extraction. The 2014 Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) requirement to have local entities evaluate and quantify the impact of groundwater pumping on the river flows has faced numerous challenges to fulfill the SGMA requirements.
