New laws intended to safeguard California’s dwindling groundwater largely exclude crucial basins in Los Angeles and Orange counties, on the grounds that local monitoring systems for them are already in place. But that is not keeping their water levels from descending to historically low levels, NBC4 has learned. “The system has worked until now,” said Anthony Zampiello, executive director for the watermaster overseeing the main San Gabriel basin, historically replenished by runoff from the mountains. What has changed things is this third year of drought. “Now it’s stressing all the safeguards put into place,” Zampiello said. The court order that established the San Gabriel watermaster four decades ago also specified an “operating range” for groundwater levels. Water as measured at the key well in Baldwin Park fell below the operating range in February and has continued to drop to the point it is now 18 feet below. “It’s never […]