Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment Program
It was created by the California State Water Resources Control Board as an improvement from groundwater programs that were already in place.
GAMA monitors various aspects in groundwater such as the water quality and allotment total through research projects conducted by multiple agencies both statewide and locally sourced.
[1] Approximately 85% of water used in California by farmers and residents today is from groundwater, with 6 million Californians relying solely on this resource.
[2] The Central Valley is a big user of groundwater for agricultural purposes which supplies a large portion of food for not only California, but for the rest of the United States as well.
[3] This resource for a long time had been unregulated, which helps one understand the groundwater crisis that occurs today in California.
[2] Over time, issues have arisen like land subsidence which occurs from pumping groundwater out faster than it can naturally replenish underground.
This monitoring method allows all agencies access to a comprehensive site where data is available for users to see if there is a potential contaminant that is above safety levels.
Chemicals tested include Nitrates, Perchlorate, Sulfate, Chloride, Coliform, Volatile Organic Compounds, Aluminum, Arsenic, Cadmium, Chromium, Iron, Lead, Manganese, Thallium, Vanadium, Zinc, Radium, and Uranium.
[8] In 2003, the California Aquifer Susceptibility (CAS) project managed sources of contamination and assessed water quality for toxic traces of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC).
The process includes an organic compound that undergoes evaporation and the remaining molecules are released into the water or the atmosphere from temperature changes.
The assessment discovered traces of pharmaceuticals of human and non-human material being disposed in the groundwater recharge supply.
The GAMA assessment collects data that is useful for monitoring and protecting future groundwater and drinking water supply.
The purpose of the GAMA program is to demonstrate and measure environmental vulnerability and particle concentrations of pollutants in groundwater tables.
Various GAMA Assessment reports in Northern California include the state capital of Sacramento on the basis of public safety and water quality.
Public accessibility would be improved upon as well regarding issues such as contaminated groundwater, and developing plans to assess the situation.
Adding an interagency task force to monitor and expand cleanup programs will be a necessity, and reports must be generated including all research conducted from Tulare Lake and the Salinas Basin.
