“Although grounded in constitutional and public trust doctrines and not SGMA, the Bring Back the Kern decision significantly impacts groundwater sustainability planning. By reinforcing the fundamental constitutional principle of reasonableness, Bring Back the Kern v. City of Bakersfield implicitly mandates Groundwater Sustainability Agencies to rigorously evaluate and justify groundwater recharge activities within their Groundwater Sustainability Plans. Moving forward, integrating environmental and constitutional considerations into groundwater management decisions will ensure balanced, sustainable outcomes that harmonize groundwater recharge efforts with surface water ecosystem health, advancing California towards a genuinely integrated water management framework.” [Read More]