Episode 62: Reflecting on SGMA after ten years
“The easy part is done. As strange as that may seem, the hard part is just beginning. Now we are really getting traction on implementation and dealing with demand reduction”
A conversation with Deputy Director for Sustainable Water Management Paul Gosselin (CA Department of Water Resources) about California's groundwater governance and progress towards sustainability goals. Released November 22, 2024.
guests on the show
Paul Gosselin
Paul Gosselin was appointed California’s Deputy Director for Sustainable Water Management (formerly Statewide Groundwater Management) on July 9, 2021. In this capacity, Gosselin oversees the Sustainable Groundwater Management Office (SGMO) and the Division of Regional Assistance (DRA). SGMO is responsible for the implementation of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) and other statewide groundwater management activities. DRA supports the management of California’s water resource through various assistance offerings. It includes two branches in Sacramento and four regional offices in Red Bluff, West Sacramento, Fresno, and Glendale. Gosselin has extensive experience in local groundwater management, and environmental regulations and leadership.
Gosselin joined the Department after serving 13 years as Butte County’s Director of Water and Resource Conservation. He managed Butte County's State Water Project Table A allocation, investigated and reported on groundwater conditions, implemented the Groundwater Management Plan, fostered regional partnerships through the Northern Sacramento Valley Integrated Regional Water Management and other water resource activities. Gosselin led Butte County’s drought response as chair of the Butte County Drought Task Force, while also leading sustainable groundwater management efforts through the implementation of SGMA. He oversaw the development of three Groundwater Sustainability Plans and was administrator of two Groundwater Sustainability Agencies. Gosselin has a passion for advancing innovative scientific approaches. He was an early adopter and collaborator of innovating technologies to further understand geologic conditions important to groundwater management. His leadership paved the way for the statewide initiative to map groundwater basins with airborne technologies.
Prior to Butte County, Gosselin was Chief Deputy Director at the California Department of Pesticide Regulation from 1999 to 2007 and was Assistant Director for Enforcement, Environmental Monitoring and Data Management from 1993 to 1999. During his tenure, he developed regulatory programs to protect surface and groundwater quality. From 1989 to 1993, he was the Director of Regulatory Services for the Massachusetts Department of Food and Agriculture.
Gosselin received a Bachelor of Science degree in biochemistry and a Master of Science degree in chemistry from the University of Massachusetts.