GAMA: Groundwater Ambient Monitoring & Assessment Program

Californians are concerned about groundwater quality, especially since groundwater accounts for up to 40 percent of the state's water supply. Since 1984, over 8,000 public water wells have been shut down - some due to the detection of chemicals such as MTBE, solvents, and perchlorate. To address these concerns, the state legislature* required that the State Water Board develop a comprehensive ambient groundwater quality monitoring plan.  The Groundwater Ambient Monitoring Assessment (GAMA) Program was created by the State Water Board as a result of these concerns.

The main objectives of the GAMA Program are to improve statewide ambient groundwater quality monitoring and assessment and to increase the availability of information about groundwater quality to the public.  Stewardship of the state's groundwater resources is the shared responsibility of all levels of the government and community. Participation in the GAMA Program is voluntary.

GAMA has produced several products on groundwater quality investigations throughout California. These products can be found here.

The GAMA Program has the following projects:

• Priority Basin Project 
  • Project Status (Updated 7/30/08)
  • List of Analytes
• Domestic Well Project
• Special Studies Project
• California Aquifer Susceptibility (CAS) Assessment Project (Completed 2003).
• Central Sierra Study Unit

[ * Supplemental Report of the 1999 Budget Act; and Groundwater Quality Monitoring Act of 2001 (AB599) ]