Now is the time for California's legislature to rethink water policy concerning groundwater. Leaving decisions concerning groundwater use and its allocation to local authorities is not the answer. Local governments with differing and competing views have placed the continuing viability of the state's groundwater supply in jeopardy. The California legislature must adopt uniform regulations as it pertains to groundwater and its many uses. Water is defined as either surface or groundwater. In an averageyear, California uses all of its surface water, requiring many San Joaquin Central Valley farmers to pump groundwater from a dwindling supply. Various political, agricultural, commercial, social, and economic interests compete for the many uses of water in California. Thus, the failure to implement uniform regulations continues to endanger the supply of safe groundwater.
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