Borrego Springs groundwater dependent ecosystem identification

The 2014 Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) mandates that all beneficial users of groundwater, including environmental users such as Groundwater Dependent Ecosystems (GDEs), be considered in Groundwater Sustainability Plans (GSPs) with management strategies to avoid undesirable outcomes given continued groundwater extraction. The GDE Project addressed substantial data gaps which led to the exclusion of the mesquite bosque near the Borrego Sink as a Groundwater Dependent Ecosystem (GDE) in the Borrego Springs Subbasin Groundwater Management Plan (GMP). Through multiple lines of evidence—including field measurements, advanced sensor technologies, and remote sensing datasets—this study confirms that the mesquite bosque is connected to groundwater and functions as a beneficial user of groundwater.