The Governance and Administration of Chino Basin Groundwater Management

Abstract

Adaptive groundwater management in Chino Basin entails a highly polycentric set of institutional arrangements that involve multiple local, state, and federal agencies as well as numerous private entities. This chapter presents the organizational and interorganizational structures and relationships involved in the governance and administration of Chino Basin. It begins with the ways in which information gathering, reporting, and accountability practices have been institutionalized in Chino Basin. It includes the stakeholder engagement and decision making processes that have developed in the basin, with specific focus on the practices of the Chino Basin Watermaster. In addition, this chapter addresses California’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) enacted in 2014: what if anything it means for Chino Basin, and what lessons the Chino Basin experience has to offer for the nearly 100 other groundwater basins in California where management institutions and plans are being implemented currently.