Abstracts Earth and Environmental Sciences

A case study of the development of groundwater management in rural California

by Justin Ebrahemi

Groundwater is a classic commons, in which historic laissez-faire water rights support the competitive extraction of a shared resource. In the American West, unregulated groundwater use has caused tremendous environmental and social consequences due to the over-pumping of aquifers, including land subsidence, litigation, and degraded fish habitats. California???s drought has intensified controversy as stakeholders fight against state intervention of their resources while some fight for the ecological integrity of our watersheds. To address these concerns, the state???s new Groundwater Sustainability Act requires monitoring on all wells in designated alluvial (water bearing) basins and reporting data back to the state. The Department of Water Resources has listed the Eel River Valley in Humboldt County, a rural agricultural region in the heart of California???s North Coast, as a medium-priority basin. This designation gives Humboldt County approximately two years to establish a local Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA) and seven years to adopt a Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP) before the state intervenes. In the formation of an Eel River Valley GSA, agricultural producers assert their private property rights and economic concerns while environmentalists envision groundwater as a public trust resource that fosters a healthy watershed. My case study examines the political processes of how the Groundwater Act will be implemented in the Eel River Valley, which brings various stakeholders at the same table under the common threat of state intervention. I inquire: Who are the actors in the formation of Eel River Valley???s Groundwater Agency? What are their stated motivations? What are the social and political drivers that influence groundwater policy in the Eel River Valley? What are the perceptions around local versus state control of groundwater resources? And finally, how is local agriculture attempting to maintain the status quo of unregulated groundwater use, and what are the broader implications for the future of water in the American West? Using participant observation, document analysis, and qualitative interviews, I investigate stakeholders??? social drivers that influence and dictate policy decisions. I explore the potential risks and benefits of local groundwater management while referring to Politics of Scale literature. By doing so, I construct economically viable and environmentally-sound policy recommendations for the Eel River Basin and beyond by suggesting the role of state assistance is key to effective resource management at the local scale. Analyzing multiple perspectives of human/water interactions allows for practical implications of equitable groundwater management for future sustainability. Advisors/Committee Members: Gold, Gregg.