Passing the Sustainable Ground Water Management Act was a pivotal move. http://www.water.ca.gov/cagroundwater/ http://www.water.ca.gov/cagroundwater/ Before t

Passing the Sustainable Ground Water Management Act was a pivotal move. http://www.water.ca.gov/cagroundwater/ http://www.water.ca.gov/cagroundwater/ Before that, ground water was seen almost as a sacred right. Even if the regulations seem to lack teeth, this was a major step into re-framing the whole debate. The focus is on solutions rather than land rights. Fortunately, the problem is looking potentially tractable with management practices alone.