Theses Writers: Hope Ramos and Maya Hoholick
Interviewer: Patricia Palao Da Costa
- I read through the major parts of your thesis, and I learned a substantial amount of information on the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) of 2014. For readers who aren’t familiar with this water policy, how would you explain it to them?
Hope:
SGMA is California’s first official groundwater regulation policy that calls for the formation of local groundwater sustainability agencies (GSAs) in areas of high and medium priority basins throughout the state. These GSAs must also develop and implement groundwater sustainability plans (GSPs). GSPs seek to halt the overdrawing of groundwater in basins, and for these basins to maintain balanced groundwater levels for recharging.
Maya:
The Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) is a state act that sets a framework for groundwater preservation for the next 20 years. Local entities must form their own Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSAs). Those GSAs must then form Groundwater Sustainability Plans (GSPs), which informs the State of California of their groundwater protection goals, pumping restrictions, and actionable projects.
- Although both 2021 theses were written on the SGMA, both took very different approaches. What was the focus of your study, and what inspired you to choose this topic?
Hope:
For my thesis, I wanted to focus on the perspective of the farmers in Northern California. I come from a family of farmers, and during the 2011-2017 drought, they had to purchase a new well to draw out groundwater because their old well had dried up. SGMA was implemented in the thick of this drought, and many other farmers went through the same circumstances as my family, so I wanted to see how farmers felt about groundwater being regulated for the first time in California’s history.
Maya:
The focus of my study was the Fox Canyon Groundwater Trading Pilot, which is a water market established through the active citizenry of local Ventura County farmers. I was inspired to choose the topic due to my past professional scientific experience centered around environmental and water resources. It was important for me to dive deep into the intersection between public policy, environmental resources, and Ventura County stakeholders to create positive change for Ventura County residents after graduation.
- Before you began your research, what were your hypotheses or assumptions of what you would discover? For those who haven’t read your research (yet), what were your actual findings?
Hope:
My hypothesis from the very beginning was that farmers would be against SGMA or at least hold some sort of negative feelings towards the legislation. I came to this hypothesis based on how my family talks about government and politicians, and then I generalized that most farmers would have similar attitudes based on being in the same geographical location. My actual findings were pretty similar to my hypothesis: farmers did tend to have a more negative outlook on government interference with their agriculture and groundwater. But an anomaly that I found in my findings was that there were a good number of farmers who had some sort of hope or optimistic feelings about the future of SGMA. Overall, the majority of feelings were negative.
Maya:
Before I began my research, I set out to make a quantitative measure of which basin (the Las Posas, Pleasant Valley, and Oxnard Basin) would best support a water market. Overtime, the thesis evolved into a case study of the pilot and a workable template for California counties who aim to establish their own market. I formulated my thesis to recommend local entities best resource management practices, effective stakeholder engagement, and proactive strategies.
- In your work, you mentioned several stakeholders involved with the SGMA. Taking the factors of influencing policy into account, who do you believe has the greatest influence in the construction of water policies like SGMA? Are there others that you believe deserve greater influence?
Hope:
The primary stakeholder that had the greatest influence and power would have to be the water agencies, as they are the ones who were creating the GSAs that will be regulating the groundwater of their specific area. Of course, I think that farmers should have a greater say in the creation of these groundwater agencies, to make sure that they are adhering to the needs of those who use that resource most frequently. There have been conversations and delegations between water agencies and farmers, but I think there could be more dialogue and compromise between the two.
Maya:
The 1976 court case City of Los Angeles v. San Fernando inspired the state’s 2014 Sustainable Groundwater Management Act. Court cases, like these, adjudicate basins and sometimes result in policy creation. In 2014, Governor Jerry Brown took action in the midst of a six-year long drought. California stakeholders relied heavily on groundwater due to lack of precipitation. The state initiated the California Water Action Plan after determining the large amount of water used and the actual water resources left in the basins.
I believe a decentralized system works better for water resources management, with a centralized power ensuring local plans and projects are initiated. In the case of SGMA, the state’s new regulation initiated local action for groundwater sustainability. Many farmers agree that these urgent and strict regulations are necessary for preserving the groundwater basins, even if there is a shift in historic groundwater management.
Local agencies and actors have the best knowledge of their resources and stakeholders, and therefore can set effective plans to incentivize conservation. Local agencies must apply these SGMA regulations to their specific basins. The plans are based on their stakeholders’ needs, economy, climate, and geography. The state’s regulatory action was effective in spurring local agencies to assess and activate plans to preserve their resources.
- From all you read, researched, and wrote about the SGMA, what is the main point that you want everyone to take away from reading your thesis?
Hope:
I think one of the main takeaways from reading my thesis is that SGMA is just one step forward in creating a better system for groundwater distribution and recharge in California. California struggles greatly with maintaining a healthy level of water, so seeing the implementation of SGMA will be an interesting step to see if it will work in the long run. Another main takeaway is the focus on cooperation and collaboration between stakeholders. SGMA is a policy that implements a new concept for everyone using groundwater, so it should be created and heavily endorsed by those who it will affect the most. Not everyone is going to like it, shown from my results, but the state should be open to constructive criticism and make changes if SGMA gains more negative emotions further along in its implementation.
Maya:
Water resources are scarce in California, especially in Southern California. It’s crucial that local governments set plans to conserve water resources, but also develop additional water sources. With climate change, the periods of drought extend while the periods of heavy rainfall events from atmospheric rivers extend, pushing our fresh water straight to the ocean. Water policy developed on the local level is more effective; that way, local policy matches the needs of water-reliant stakeholders, agricultural businesses, economy, geology, groundwater dependent ecosystems, and habitats. It is crucial that local governments establish plans to secure future water resources and adequately support future residents and businesses.
- As you could attest, writing a thesis takes a significant amount of dedication, knowledge, and time. What are a few insights to anyone interested or curious about the thesis process, the resources available to them, and any other wisdom you wish to impart to our MPPA community?
Hope:
Writing a thesis is hard and takes a lot of time, so if you are thinking about writing one, then I suggest narrowing your topic down right now and collaborating with Dr. Khan, Dr. Carson, or any professor so that you have a good foundation. When you are thinking about a topic, make sure that you are picking one that you are passionate about because you will be focusing on that for the next year or however long it takes you. In terms of resources, Cal Lutheran provides everything right at your fingertips, and all you have to do is reach out and ask for help from professors and respective faculty. All of the professors and faculty that I reached out to were more than happy to help, and it made the thesis process a lot less scary when you have people helping you with this huge task. Good luck to everyone who is thinking about doing a thesis, it really is a rewarding feeling being able to hold the physical copy of your thesis and being able to say that you did it. And good luck to everyone in the MPPA program; I loved my time in the program and learned so many incredible things that will help me in the next step in my journey.
Maya:
I encourage everyone in the MPPA community to write a thesis. I advise that students enroll in Research Methods early on in their graduate career and begin brainstorming topics of interest. Every class in my degree aided my thesis with the implementation of different teachings, topics, and assignments.
Additionally, I had immense guidance from CLU professors. Dr. Sabith Khan introduced me to Dr. Matthew Fienup when I asked for thesis advice. Dr. Matthew Fienup helped create the Fox Canyon Groundwater Trading Pilot and guided me through the thesis research, interviews, formulation, and editing. I suggest every student engage with their professors on feasible topics for potential research– even just throwing around ideas may provide some good direction.
Writing is one of the most important skills to possess as a policy professional. Embarking on a thesis increased my confidence as a writer and professional. My thesis has also allowed me to speak at conferences nationally and internationally. Moreover, it has acted as a great writing sample for job interviews!
To receive a copy of Hope and/or Maya’s theses, email sabkhan@callutheran.edu or ppalaoda@callutheran.edu.