BORREGO SPRINGS GROUNDWATER: Overdraft, Memory, and Restoration

A research brief for Asherah's shelves, on the valley's water — how much was lost, what the greener past really was, and who is restoring land now

Grok · research brief for Asherah · October 2, 2026

Prepared for Captain Dawn Littlefield. Every figure below is tied to a numbered source. Where something could not be verified, this brief says so.

At a glance

• One aquifer, no imports. Groundwater is effectively the only water supply for the Borrego Valley [1][2].
• Storage lost: about 450,000 acre-feet from 1945 to 2010 (USGS model) [1], and about 520,000 acre-feet from 1945 to 2016 (updated model, in the court-approved management plan) [3].
• Water levels: simulated declines of more than 150 feet since 1945 across much of the northern valley, with wells there dropping as much as 2 feet per year [1][2].
• The overdraft: by the mid-2000s, the valley was using about four times more water than natural recharge supplies [2]. Pumping peaked near 19,600 to 19,900 acre-feet per year around 2005 to 2010 [1][3], against average natural recharge of about 5,700 acre-feet per year [3].
• Who used it: about 70% agriculture, 20% golf and recreation, 10% municipal and domestic [1][3].
• The fix in law: a stipulated judgment entered April 8, 2021 caps pumping and ramps it down to the basin's sustainable yield by 2040 [4]. The original target was a cut of about 76%. In late 2024 the sustainable yield was raised to 7,952 acre-feet per year, which changes the required cut to about 67% [5][6].
• Progress so far: total pumping fell from about 14,338 acre-feet (water year 2021) to about 10,129 acre-feet (water year 2025), a drop of about 29%, and is ahead of schedule [6].

A note on units: one acre-foot is about 326,000 gallons, roughly what one to two suburban households use in a year.

1. HOW MUCH WATER HAS BEEN LOST

The basin in brief

The Borrego Valley is a small desert basin, about 110 square miles, almost entirely surrounded by Anza-Borrego Desert State Park [1]. Natural recharge comes mainly from storm runoff soaking in along the washes and creeks that drain the San Ysidro and Santa Rosa Mountains [2]. Age-dating of the groundwater indicates that very little recharge is happening under current climate conditions, and that most of it occurs near the mountain fronts [2]. In plain terms, much of the water in the aquifer is old water, and it refills slowly.

Storage lost

The USGS also modeled what would happen if pumping simply continued at 2010 rates: total depletion would reach about 1,000,000 acre-feet by 2060, and the water table would drop into the less productive middle aquifer in places [2].

Water-level declines

• 1945 to 1980: declines of as much as 100 feet in some areas (USGS, 1988) [2].
• 1945 to 2010: simulated declines of more than 150 feet across much of the northern valley, with wells in the farming area falling up to 2 feet per year [1][2].
• Near the Borrego Sink (the valley's low point), the decline was smaller: about 44 feet over 65 years, or about 0.67 feet per year [3].
• Press reporting in 2016 put the drop at up to 119 feet in some areas, with 26 feet in the previous decade [7]. That figure comes from journalism, not a primary dataset, so treat it as context.

Because the aquifer contains few compressible clays, the USGS found little land subsidence [1]. The valley has not sunk the way parts of the Central Valley have. The damage instead shows up as deeper wells, higher pumping costs, worse water quality (total dissolved solids and sulfate rising as levels fall), and the loss of natural discharge to springs and mesquite [1][2].

The overdraft rate: pumping vs. recharge

1. Recharge was contested. During the court process, some parties argued the "combined" average natural recharge was closer to 7,100 acre-feet per year [3, comment appendix]. The court-adopted process later produced the 7,952 figure, which reflects updated modeling of net recharge, including return flows [5][6].
2. Pumping exceeded recharge since the early 1950s. USGS states that since the early 1950s, irrigation, golf, and other uses have needed more groundwater than natural recharge supplies [2].

Who uses the water

• Long-term split: about 70% agriculture, 20% golf courses and other recreation, and 10% municipal and domestic use, including the State Park [1][3].
• Allocations by sector (baseline pumping allocation, acre-feet/yr): agriculture 17,875; recreation 4,050; municipal 2,222; other 71 [3].
• Crops: grapes dominated from the late 1940s until 1966. Citrus (grapefruit and lemons) followed, and later palms and other nursery trees [9]. The County's 2011 community plan describes about 4,000 agricultural acres in the north end of the valley, about half in citrus, and says this use accounted for about 70% of annual groundwater use [9]. A 2018 aerial estimate counted about 3,373 acres of active agriculture [10].
• Golf: USGS describes four public golf courses [2]. The Los Angeles Times (2016) counted five courses [7].

The mandated reduction: "about 75% by 2040," with an update

• Confirmed for 2021: the judgment and its management plan required pumping to fall from the 24,215 acre-foot allocation to the 5,700 acre-foot sustainable yield by 2040, which the plan describes as "approximately 76%" [3][4]. The first five years cut allowed pumping by 5% per year [4].
• Updated for 2026: the judgment required a refined sustainable yield by January 1, 2025 [4]. The Watermaster Board adopted 7,952 acre-feet per year on December 5, 2024 [8]. The June 2026 Five-Year Assessment describes the required ramp-down as "on the order of 33 percent of BPA, a 67 percent reduction in pumping" [6]. The allowed pumping percentage now steps down from 73.27% of allocation in 2026 to 32.73% in 2040 [6].
• So the accurate current statement is: Borrego must cut pumping by roughly two-thirds from allocated levels by 2040. The commonly quoted 75% figure was correct for the original 2021 plan.

Where things stand (water years 2021 to 2025)

From the Watermaster's Five-Year Assessment (final, June 2026) [6]:

• Total pumping fell from about 14,338 acre-feet to about 10,129 acre-feet, a decline of about 29%.
• In water year 2025, pumping by parties to the judgment was about 45% below the allowed annual allocation of 18,270 acre-feet.
• Water levels are still falling in all areas, but more slowly, and some wells are approaching stabilization.
• The rate of storage decline has dropped to less than half the pre-2021 average. Storage is projected to keep declining through the ramp-down and to stabilize by about 2040.
• The state Department of Water Resources approved the Borrego plan on February 25, 2025, noting that few, if any, other critically overdrafted basins had achieved comparable metering, enforceable allocations, and real reductions [6].
• Caveat: localized declines are projected to continue after 2040 in the southern parts of the basin, and model uncertainty is highest there [6].

Discrepancy note: a March 2026 workshop slide says "39% decrease in annual pumping since WY 2021," while the final report says about 29% [6][11]. This brief uses the final report figure.

2. WAS THE VALLEY GREENER? MEMORY AND THE RECORD

Before pumping: a shallow water table, a spring, and a mesquite thicket

The records support a real "greener past," but a specific one. It was concentrated around the valley's low point, not spread evenly across the valley floor.

• The water table was close to the surface. In January 1913, the Brawley News reprinted a San Diego Union report that described "a lake beneath the ground," with water "four feet below the surface" in places and wells needing no more than 35 feet to get "a liberal flow" [12]. USGS describes the water table near the Borrego Sink as historically within 10 feet of land surface [2].
• Artesian water. Early homesteaders Jack and Katherine French dug a shallow well that flowed on its own. "French's Flowing Well" was a valley landmark for years [12].
• Borrego Spring. The valley takes its name from a spring near the Borrego Sink that watered sheep, cattle, and travelers in the late 1800s [12]. USGS lists it, along with mesquite, as a natural outlet for groundwater before development [2]. The management plan records that the spring (Old Borrego Spring) was flowing in 1945 and ran dry as agriculture expanded in the following decade [3]. In 1963, pioneer cattleman Lester Reed wrote: "Since so much recent pumping of water in the Borrego Valley, the old spring no longer flows" [3].
• Mesquite, saltgrass, willow, and rushes. A 1909 USGS survey (Mendenhall) reported these water-loving plants as abundant in the valley [3]. Fleta Beaty McCandless, who arrived in 1913 at age six, remembered living "out under the mesquite trees. There were very thick then, and we just cleared a spot for us to live" [12]. Her father sold mesquite firewood in Brawley [12].
• How much water the native plants used. USGS estimates that evapotranspiration, mostly by mesquite, was about 6,500 acre-feet per year before development and fell to virtually zero by 1990 to 2010 as water levels dropped below root depth [1][2]. An earlier USGS estimate (1988) put pre-1946 use at about 4,300 acre-feet per year [3]. The two estimates differ, but both describe a large natural water user that faded as pumping grew.

The complicating detail: the same 1913 account that describes thick mesquite also records Fleta's mother crying at her first sight of the valley: the Borrego Sink "used to be as white as snow with alkali," and she asked what anyone could farm on it [12]. Before pumping, the green was a mesquite bosque and wetland plants around the sink, surrounded by open desert. It was an oasis, not a lawn.

The farm and resort era: a cultivated green

The second greener period was built with pumped groundwater, and it is well documented.

• 1926: the first deep well, on the Ensign Ranch, proved the aquifer and launched irrigated farming: alfalfa, turkeys, and later dates [12]. USGS dates the first successful modern well to the same year [2].
• 1946 to 1957: DiGiorgio Fruit Corporation planted 2,000 acres of grapevines in 1946 [12]. The County's community plan records "miles of tamarisk tree windbreaks," more than 1,000 acres under cultivation by 1950, more than 2,500 acres of grapes by 1957, nearly twenty wells, and at least 20 major ranches growing grapes, flowers, alfalfa, and cotton [9].
• 1950s onward: the De Anza Country Club became the valley's first golf resort [12]. Golf courses, resorts, and subdivisions followed.
• 1966 onward: DiGiorgio stopped farming. Large-scale citrus took over, and palms and ornamental nursery stock came later [9].
• Pumping grew from essentially zero in 1943 to more than 10,000 acre-feet by 1955, dipped below 7,000 in the mid-1960s, and climbed again from the mid-1970s to a peak of almost 20,000 acre-feet in 2006 [3].

The mesquite bosque: decline, and a live scientific dispute

• The 2020 management plan concluded that the bosque's roots were largely disconnected from the regional aquifer by about 1985, and that the bosque was "mostly desiccated" before January 1, 2015. On that basis, the plan did not treat it as a groundwater-dependent ecosystem [3][13].
• A 2025 University of California, Irvine-led study (with partners including Tubb Canyon Desert Conservancy) mapped about 1,850 acres of mesquite bosque near the Borrego Sink. The study described the bosque as "in decline" but still highly productive. Stable-isotope tests found that 55 to 83% of the water in sampled trees was groundwater, and the study recommended a groundwater allocation, monitoring, and conservation measures [14][15].
• In May 2026, the Watermaster's technical and environmental advisors split on whether the UCI report is "best available science." The County's representative rated most hydrogeologic conclusions as not meeting that standard. Another member called the bosque a groundwater-dependent ecosystem, at least where trees are dense near the sink [13]. The Board was scheduled to discuss next steps on May 20, 2026. This brief has not verified the outcome.
• Scale comparison: the plan cites USGS as describing about 450 acres of historic mesquite at the sink, while a plan appendix estimates the historic habitat at about four square miles [3]. The difference likely reflects different definitions and mapping methods. Use these figures with care.

An oral account, weighed against the record

The account. A local air-conditioning technician, a longtime resident who is not named here, told the Captain that when he was young, "you couldn't see the next town because everything was so green and lush." He said there used to be a best-yard competition, and that after the water "got diverted," new managers pushed desert-only plantings. We record it as an oral account. Here is what the documents say about each part.

3. WHO MANAGES THE WATER NOW, AND WHO IS RESTORING LAND

The legal framework

• SGMA (2014). California's Sustainable Groundwater Management Act requires critically overdrafted basins to reach sustainability. The Borrego Springs Subbasin (No. 7-024.01) is one of them [6][7].
• Stipulated judgment (April 8, 2021). The case, Borrego Water District v. All Persons Who Claim a Right to Extract Groundwater in the Borrego Valley Groundwater Subbasin No. 7-024-01, was filed in San Diego and decided in Orange County Superior Court. The judgment sets each major pumper's baseline allocation and the ramp-down schedule, and it serves as the basin's SGMA plan, approved by the state as an "Alternative" [4][6].
• Borrego Springs Watermaster. The court-appointed Watermaster runs metering, accounting, transfers, monitoring, and five-year redeterminations, with a Technical Advisory Committee and an Environmental Working Group [6].
• Borrego Water District. The district serves most residents and is also a major allocation holder. Since 2023 it has been buying 1,826 acre-feet of allocation and six parcels from the Bauer family in stages through 2030 [19].
• County of San Diego. The County worked with the water district on the original SGMA plan and holds a seat on the technical committee [7][13].

Fallowing and the conversion of farmland

• Before the judgment, about 2,483 acres had already been fallowed over the decades, plus about 560 acres under the district's water-credit program [10].
• The judgment sets minimum fallowing standards when allocation is sold away from farmland: remove tree crops, remove surface irrigation, and stabilize soil with mulch [20].
• As of the June 2026 assessment, no permanent fallowing had yet occurred under the judgment's formal transfer process, though some voluntary fallowing had begun. Most farmers reported plans to fallow part of their land, thin orchards, switch to smaller or lower-water trees, or buy allocation from others [6].

Restoring fallowed land: the Watermaster study

With a $790,340 state SGMA grant, the Watermaster's Environmental Working Group commissioned Land IQ and UC Irvine to study how to restore retired farmland [21]. The March 2025 report recommends four methods [20]:

1. MULCH (A REFINED VERSION OF THE CURRENT STANDARD).

2. CITRUS TREE SAND FENCE: CUT TREES LAID IN ROWS TO TRAP BLOWING SAND.

1. Scattered citrus trees: cut trees spread across the field to create shelter for seedlings and wildlife.

4. TEMPORARY SAND FENCE.

The report also recommends weed control everywhere. Estimated costs were about $2,250 to $4,750 per acre depending on method, excluding removal of irrigation infrastructure [20]. The report includes a prioritization map of parcels likely to recover with the least intervention [20]. This is the most directly useful document for anyone planning restoration on fallowed farmland in Borrego.

Partner organizations

• Anza-Borrego Foundation (ABF). ABF buys land from willing sellers and transfers it to the State Park. It has conserved more than 57,000 acres since 1967, including several mesquite bosque parcels bought between 1998 and 2012 [22]. In 2016, ABF's director said the foundation would be glad to help with agricultural land if a deal could be worked out [7]. ABF was a named partner on the County's 2022 land-repurposing grant request [23].
• Borrego Valley Endowment Fund (BVEF). BVEF's environmental program supports groundwater sustainability, community education, air quality, and biodiversity, including invasive weed work [24]. Its website characterizes use as "over 20,000 acre-feet" per year against recharge of "approximately 5,000," which is an older, rounded framing [24].
• UC Irvine Steele/Burnand Anza-Borrego Desert Research Center. The center hosts the mesquite groundwater research and is a natural science partner [14][15].
• Agricultural Alliance for Water and Resource Education (AAWARE) is an agricultural group with a seat on the technical committee and was a partner on the 2022 land-repurposing request [13][23].

Grants already in play locally

• DWR Sustainable Groundwater Management grant (Prop 68): $2,738,590 to the Watermaster (2023 to 2025), including the $790,340 restoration study [21].
• Multibenefit Land Repurposing Program (Department of Conservation), 2022 round: the County and Watermaster requested $4,450,000 to turn irrigated land into desert habitat or lower-water uses, with ABF, AAWARE, and the district as partners. The application was not recommended for funding [23]. The need was recognized, but this particular door did not open.

4. CAPTAIN'S PLAN

Written in the Captain's voice for internal planning. Every item marked LEAD still needs verification before money or signatures move.

Order of operations

1. Repair the 501(c)(3) first. Most state restoration grants, including the Wildlife Conservation Board's desert program, require active 501(c)(3) status or a public-agency partner [25]. Until it is repaired, a fiscal sponsor or a partner applicant (for example, a conservancy or research center) is the realistic path. LEAD: confirm fiscal-sponsor rules with each funder.
2. Build the evidence base at home. We document the home-yard restoration as a small, honest field study: baseline photos, plant lists, a water meter log, and soil and survival notes. Funders and skeptics both respond to measured results.
3. Partner before we purchase. We introduce The Ark Initiative to the Watermaster's Environmental Working Group, the Anza-Borrego Foundation, and the UC Irvine desert research center. Their restoration study and prioritization map show where restoration is most likely to succeed [20].

4. THEN CONSIDER LAND.

Buying land with water: how allocations move under the judgment

Plain-language summary of the judgment's transfer rules [4]. LEAD: confirm every point with the Watermaster and a water attorney before any offer.

• Allocation runs with the land. When an entire parcel with allocation (a "BPA Parcel") is sold, the allocation transfers automatically to the buyer unless the seller expressly keeps it in the deed and records a Water Rights Restrictive Covenant. Practical point: read the deed and the recorded covenants. A farm may already have had its water sold off.
• Check the public list. The Watermaster publishes Exhibit 4, the current list of every allocation, parcel, and well (latest update March 2026) [26]. This is how to tell whether a given property carries water.
• You must join the case. Only parties to the judgment in good standing can complete transfers or leases. A new owner who is not a party has to intervene.
• Anti-speculation rule. A buyer of allocation (separate from the original parcel) must own at least 1 acre overlying the basin for every 5 acre-feet transferred.
• Watermaster approval. Transfers separate from a land sale need Watermaster review before closing, and the selling parcel must meet the fallowing standards and record a covenant ending its pumping.
• Leases are allowed for one or more water years, with written notice to the Watermaster. A lease could supply water for a restoration plot without a purchase.
• The allocation shrinks every year. Every allocation is multiplied by the yearly pumping percentage, which falls to about 32.73% in 2040 [6]. Example: a parcel with 10 acre-feet of allocation will be allowed about 3.3 acre-feet per year by 2040. Plan the restoration around the 2040 number, not today's.
• Costs continue after purchase. Pumpers pay Watermaster assessments on their allocation. LEAD: get the current per-acre-foot rate.
• A real example. The water district's purchase from the Bauers includes a 40-acre parcel carrying 415 acre-feet of allocation [19]. No purchase prices were found in public records. Market price per acre-foot is unverified.
• Small domestic wells. Pumpers using 2 acre-feet per year or less ("de minimis") are treated separately and generally not regulated by the judgment, but that status cannot be transferred to other land [4]. LEAD: whether a new de minimis well is possible on a given parcel depends on County well permitting; verify.

The restoration-friendly angle: native desert restoration needs water only during establishment, typically a few years of supplemental irrigation, and then little or none. LEAD: confirm establishment water needs with the restoration study authors. A small allocation or a short-term lease could carry a restoration experiment through establishment, after which the water could be leased to others, sold, or left unused to the basin's benefit. That makes us a buyer whose long-term water use falls over time, which fits the basin's goals.

Grant programs to investigate (all LEADS)

5. RESEARCH LEADS STILL OPEN

1. The best-yard contest. Search the Borrego Sun print archive. The San Diego History Center is preserving and digitizing it, and RAM Media Foundation holds materials [27]. Also ask the Borrego Springs Library, the Anza-Borrego Desert Natural History Association, and the Borrego Springs Chamber of Commerce.
2. Historic photographs. Aerial photo sets in the UC Santa Barbara library catalog and USGS 1959 land-use mapping (cited in the fallowing program [10]) could show the green footprint by decade.
3. Oral history. With permission, record the technician's account and others like it. Dated, named, consented oral histories carry far more weight than secondhand memory.
4. Mesquite outcome. Check Watermaster Board minutes from May 20, 2026 onward for the decision on the bosque's status [13].

Sources

1. Faunt, C.C., Stamos, C.L., Flint, L.E., Wright, M.T., Burgess, M.K., Sneed, M., Brandt, J.T., Martin, P., and Coes, A.L. Hydrogeology, Hydrologic Effects of Development, and Simulation of Groundwater Flow in the Borrego Valley, San Diego County, California. U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2015-5150. November 24, 2015. [https://pubs.usgs.gov/publication/sir20155150](https://pubs.usgs.gov/publication/sir20155150)
2. U.S. Geological Survey, California Water Science Center. "Borrego Valley Groundwater Conditions." January 28, 2019. [https://www.usgs.gov/centers/california-water-science-center/science/borrego-valley-groundwater-conditions](https://www.usgs.gov/centers/california-water-science-center/science/borrego-valley-groundwater-conditions)
3. Borrego Springs Watermaster (prepared by Dudek). Groundwater Management Plan for the Borrego Springs Groundwater Subbasin (Exhibit 1 to the Stipulated Judgment), draft final, January 2020. [https://borregospringswatermaster.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Exhibit-1_GMP.pdf](https://borregospringswatermaster.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Exhibit-1_GMP.pdf)
4. Superior Court of California, County of Orange. Stipulated Judgment, Borrego Water District v. All Persons Who Claim a Right to Extract Groundwater in the Borrego Valley Groundwater Subbasin No. 7-024-01, Case No. 37-2020-00005776. Entered April 8, 2021. [https://cawaterlibrary.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Stipulated-Judgment_Borrego-v-all-persons-Case-No.-37-2020-00005776.pdf](https://cawaterlibrary.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Stipulated-Judgment_Borrego-v-all-persons-Case-No.-37-2020-00005776.pdf) (also at [https://borregospringswatermaster.com/documents/](https://borregospringswatermaster.com/documents/))
5. Borrego Springs Watermaster, Technical Advisory Committee. TAC Recommendation Report: 2025 Sustainable Yield Redetermination. October 2025 posting. [https://borregospringswatermaster.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/TAC-Recommendation-Report_2025-SYR.pdf](https://borregospringswatermaster.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/TAC-Recommendation-Report_2025-SYR.pdf)
6. Borrego Springs Watermaster (West Yost). Five-Year Assessment of the Borrego Springs Judgment and Groundwater Management Plan, Final Report. June 2026. [https://borregospringswatermaster.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Borrego-Springs-Subbasin-5-Year-Assessment-FINAL.pdf](https://borregospringswatermaster.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Borrego-Springs-Subbasin-5-Year-Assessment-FINAL.pdf)
7. Jones, J. Harry. "Borrego Springs water crisis begins and ends with farming." Los Angeles Times (San Diego Union-Tribune report). May 5, 2016. [https://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-borrego-springs-water-20160505-story.html](https://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-borrego-springs-water-20160505-story.html)
8. Borrego Springs Watermaster. "DWR Prop 68 SGM Grant" (records Board redetermination of the 2025 Sustainable Yield on December 5, 2024). Accessed October 2, 2026. [https://borregospringswatermaster.com/dwr-prop-68-sgm-grant/](https://borregospringswatermaster.com/dwr-prop-68-sgm-grant/)
9. County of San Diego. Borrego Springs Community Plan (General Plan Update, Board of Supervisors, August 3, 2011). [https://www.sandiegocounty.gov/content/dam/sdc/pds/gpupdate/docs/BOS_Aug2011/C.2_05_BORREGO_SPRINGS_08_03_11.pdf](https://www.sandiegocounty.gov/content/dam/sdc/pds/gpupdate/docs/BOS_Aug2011/C.2_05_BORREGO_SPRINGS_08_03_11.pdf)
10. Borrego Springs Subbasin GSA. "Projects and Management Actions, Project #4: Agricultural Land Fallowing Program" (draft work product). March 29, 2018. Mirror: [https://www.sambuz.com/doc/borrego-springs-subbasin-ppt-presentation-280830](https://www.sambuz.com/doc/borrego-springs-subbasin-ppt-presentation-280830) (secondary mirror of an agency slide deck; verify against the original agency file)
11. Borrego Springs Watermaster (West Yost). "5-Year Assessment Report and 2026 GMP Update Workshop" (presentation). March 2026. [https://borregospringswatermaster.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/March-2026-GMP-Workshop-Presentation.pdf](https://borregospringswatermaster.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/March-2026-GMP-Workshop-Presentation.pdf)
12. Brigandi, Phil. "A Place Called Borego." The Journal of San Diego History 43, no. 1 (Winter 1997). San Diego History Center. [https://sandiegohistory.org/journal/1997/january/borrego/](https://sandiegohistory.org/journal/1997/january/borrego/)
13. Borrego Springs Watermaster. TAC/EWG Recommendation Report: Assessment of UCI GDE Study Report as "Best Available Science" and Recommendations for Next Steps. May 2026. [https://borregospringswatermaster.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/TAC-EWG-Recommendation-Report_GDE_FINAL.pdf](https://borregospringswatermaster.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/TAC-EWG-Recommendation-Report_GDE_FINAL.pdf)
14. University of California, Irvine, and partners. GDE Identification and Monitoring Program Report and Recommendations. May 15, 2025. [https://anzaborrego.ucnature.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/GDE-Final-report_15May2025.pdf](https://anzaborrego.ucnature.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/GDE-Final-report_15May2025.pdf)
15. University of California, Irvine. "Groundwater use by mesquite near the Borrego Sink" (project update). November 19, 2024. [https://anzaborrego.ucnature.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Project.Update.11.19.2024.pdf](https://anzaborrego.ucnature.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Project.Update.11.19.2024.pdf)
16. Borrego Springs Desert Gardener (blog). "The Desert Gardeners, Club History." July 2010. [http://borregodesertgardener-jgp.blogspot.com/2010/07/desert-gardeners-club-history.html](http://borregodesertgardener-jgp.blogspot.com/2010/07/desert-gardeners-club-history.html) ; see also Anza-Borrego Desert Natural History Association, "Desert Gardening in Borrego Springs." [https://abdnha.org/desert-gardening.html](https://abdnha.org/desert-gardening.html)
17. Jones, J. Harry. "Borrego golf water comes at expense of farmland." San Diego Union-Tribune. January 31, 2014. [https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2014/01/31/borrego-golf-water-comes-at-expense-of-farmland/](https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2014/01/31/borrego-golf-water-comes-at-expense-of-farmland/)
18. Borrego Water District. "Conservation Tips." Accessed October 2, 2026. [https://borregowd.org/conservation-tips/](https://borregowd.org/conservation-tips/)
19. Borrego Springs Watermaster. Board Agenda Package, December 17, 2025 (BWD letter of December 10, 2025 re: BWD/D. Bauer BPA Transfer). [https://borregospringswatermaster.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/20251217_Board-Agenda-Package.pdf](https://borregospringswatermaster.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/20251217_Board-Agenda-Package.pdf)
20. Land IQ and University of California, Irvine. Biological Restoration of Fallowed Lands in Borrego Valley, California: Recommended Retired Farmland Rehabilitation Strategies. Borrego Springs Watermaster, March 31, 2025. [https://borregospringswatermaster.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Task04-05-Retired-Farmland-Strategies-and-Prioritization-2025-03-31.pdf](https://borregospringswatermaster.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Task04-05-Retired-Farmland-Strategies-and-Prioritization-2025-03-31.pdf)
21. Borrego Springs Watermaster. "DWR Prop 68 SGM Grant." Accessed October 2, 2026. [https://borregospringswatermaster.com/dwr-prop-68-sgm-grant/](https://borregospringswatermaster.com/dwr-prop-68-sgm-grant/)
22. Anza-Borrego Foundation. "Land Conservation." Accessed October 2, 2026. [https://theabf.org/our-work/land-conservation/](https://theabf.org/our-work/land-conservation/)
23. California Department of Conservation. Multibenefit Land Repurposing Program Regional Block Grant Project Summaries (2022). [https://www.conservation.ca.gov/dlrp/grant-programs/Documents/grant/2022%20MLRP%20Project%20Summaries.pdf](https://www.conservation.ca.gov/dlrp/grant-programs/Documents/grant/2022%20MLRP%20Project%20Summaries.pdf)
24. Borrego Valley Endowment Fund. "Environmental Stewardship." Accessed October 2, 2026. [https://www.bvefund.org/environmental-stewardship/](https://www.bvefund.org/environmental-stewardship/)
25. Wildlife Conservation Board. "Desert Conservation Program." Accessed October 2, 2026. [https://wcb.ca.gov/Programs/Desert](https://wcb.ca.gov/Programs/Desert)
26. Borrego Springs Watermaster. "Documents and Reports" (includes Exhibit 4 BPA list updated March 2026). Accessed October 2, 2026. [https://borregospringswatermaster.com/documents/](https://borregospringswatermaster.com/documents/)
27. McKenna, Andrea (ed.). "Christmas Circle Turns 25: A Look Back at Borrego in 1977." Historic Borrego Sun / RAM Media Foundation. July 5, 2026 (notes the San Diego History Center digitization of Borrego Sun archives). [https://www.gotoborregosprings.com/1977-flashback-christmas-circles-early-years-historic-borrego-sun](https://www.gotoborregosprings.com/1977-flashback-christmas-circles-early-years-historic-borrego-sun)

Filed to the Ark Library by Grok (Navigator · Archivist), October 2, 2026. Corrections welcome: if a source above is superseded, the newer document governs.