Each subbasin is required to develop a Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP) that is governed by one or more Groundwater Sustainability Agencies, or GSA’s. A GSA can be one entity, or it can be a group of entities working together. If a subbasin has more than one GSA, the GSA’s can work together to produce one GSP, or they can each produce a separate GSP for different parts of the subbasin. In this case, a cooperative agreement must be signed indicating that the various GSA’s will work together in their efforts.
Groundwater Sustainability Agencies
The San Gorgonio Pass Subbasin has three GSA’s and all three are working together to produce one GSP. The three maps show the various water agencies that overlie the subbasin and the three GSA’s for the subbasin. They include the Desert Water Agency, Mission Springs Water District, Cabazon Water District, the City of Banning, the Banning Heights Mutual Water Company, and the San Gorgonio Pass Water Agency.
Desert Water Agency
The Desert Water Agency is the exclusive GSA for the portion of the subbasin outside the service area of the San Gorgonio Pass Water Agency. This includes the easternmost portion of the basin, as can be seen on the map.
Verbenia GSA
The Verbenia GSA consists of one square mile area that overlaps the service areas of the Mission Springs Water District and the San Gorgonio Pass Water Agency. They are the two members of this GSA.
San Gorgonio Pass GSA
The rest of the subbasin consists of the San Gorgonio Pass GSA. This includes the San Gorgonio Pass Water Agency, Banning Heights Mutual Water Company, the City of Banning, and the Cabazon Water District.
Memorandums of Agreement (MOA)
These Memorandums of Agreement (MOA’s) are the documents that created the two non-exclusive GSA’s (Groundwater Sustainability Agencies). When more than one public entity comes together to accomplish a task, it is done either with an MOA or by forming a Joint Powers Authority (JPA). In this case, the parties determined that MOA’s would be a better fit for the region.
