Designated groundwater basin
Also called: critical groundwater area, groundwater management area
An administratively defined area where groundwater withdrawal is restricted or specially managed because the aquifer is stressed.
States use various names for this, but the mechanism is consistent: inside the boundary, new wells are restricted, permitted, metered or prohibited outright, and existing withdrawals may be subject to reduction.
These boundaries are invisible on the ground and decisive on paper. Two parcels a mile apart can face completely different groundwater regimes, which is why the administrative overlay is a first-round screening layer rather than a detail.
Where this shows up in the data
See also
More in Water law
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