An Alternative GSP, per Water Code Section 10733.6 (b), may be any of the following:

1. An existing groundwater management plan or other law authorizing groundwater management.
2. Groundwater management pursuant to an adjudication.
3. An analysis of basin conditions that demonstrates that the basin has operated within its sustainable yield over a period of at least 10 years.

The initial deadline to submit Alternative GSPs was December 31, 2016. Alternative GSPs underwent extensive technical review by Department staff to confirm they will achieve the same outcome as a GSP, which is sustainable groundwater management for the basin. Nine Alternative GSPs were approved on July 17, 2019. Agencies in these nine basins resubmitted their Alternative GSPs in late 2021 and early 2022, initiating the Department’s periodic review of these plans. The Department then re-approved these nine Alternative GSPs in June 2024. The next periodic evaluation for these nine basins is due in December 2026. 

One Alternative GSP was submitted for the critically over-drafted (COD) Borrego Springs Groundwater Basin located in San Diego County in June 2021. This Alternative GSP was submitted to the Department after an adjudication ruling consistent with the State’s Regulations and SGMA legislation. The Borrego Springs Alternative GSP was approved on February 26, 2025. The next periodic evaluation for this basin is due in June 2026.

Please visit the SGMA Portal to learn more.