SGMA / GSA water accounting
Parcel-level SGMA water accounting built for real GSA rules
Replace fragile spreadsheets with a configurable water accounting system for allocations, ETA usage, credits, debits, transfers, carryover, appeals, and grower-facing account access.
Why spreadsheets break down
SGMA water accounting outgrows Excel when parcel count, water years, and credit rules multiply.
Multi-parcel scale failures
Water accounting spreadsheets break under multi-year, multi-parcel programs with changing rules.
No grower self-service
Growers lack access to budgets, usage, and balances — every inquiry becomes a staff phone call.
Manual water year reconciliation
Staff spend the water year reconciling transfers, credits, and appeals by hand.
Generic BI gaps
Dashboard tools show charts but lack parcel workflows growers and auditors expect.
Operational water accounting, not just dashboards
Production workflows built from real California GSA implementation experience.
- Running balances by parcel and water year
- Allocation, ETA usage, and credit detail
- Grower-visible statements matching staff records
- Appeals and correction request workflows
- Staff approval before balances publish
- Audit trail for every adjustment
Import → Calculate → Review → Publish
The operational workflow GSAs need beyond a dashboard.
Import
Load parcel, account, and historical water year data with clear boundaries and validation.
Calculate
Apply agency-configurable rules for allocations, ETA usage, credits, debits, transfers, and carryover.
Review
Route appeals, corrections, and transfers through staff review queues before balances update.
Publish
Release grower statements, agency reports, and exports for board review and communication.
Full SGMA water accounting capability
Allocations
Annual allocation tracking by parcel with multi-year visibility.
ETA usage
Estimated consumptive use tied to parcel accounts.
Surface water credits
Configurable credit rules for surface water deliveries.
Transfers
Move water between parcels with audit trails.
Carryover
Multi-year carryover policies with agency-configurable rules.
Appeals
Staff review queues for correction requests.
Grower statements
Self-service portals for budgets, usage, and balances.
Reports & exports
Agency and grower reports for review and communication.
Spreadsheets vs. United Tracking Systems
Spreadsheets & generic dashboards
- Formula drift when allocation rules change
- No grower self-service or audit trail
- Manual reconciliation before every board meeting
- Charts without parcel-level operational workflows
United Tracking Systems
- Agency-configurable rules with validation
- Grower portals for balances, transfers, and statements
- Staff review queues for appeals and corrections
- Defensible parcel accounting with exportable records
Example workflow
Central Valley GSA water year close
A groundwater sustainability agency managed thousands of parcel accounts across multiple water years in spreadsheets. Grower inquiries about balances required staff lookups, and water year close involved days of manual reconciliation for transfers, credits, and appeals.
Outcome: The agency moved to parcel-level accounting with grower self-service portals and staff review queues. Water year close runs from structured data instead of spreadsheet reconciliation, and growers access their own balances without calling the office.
Related paths
Frequently asked questions
Can rules be configured per agency?
Yes. Allocation, credit, carryover, and transfer rules are configured per agency to match your GSP and operational policies — not a one-size-fits-all template.
Can growers access their own balances?
Yes. Grower portals provide self-service access to budgets, usage, transfers, and statements — reducing phone calls and email requests to agency staff.
Can we import existing parcel and account data?
Most implementations start by importing parcel structure, account assignments, and historical water year balances. We scope the migration based on your data format and quality.
How long does setup take?
Timeline depends on parcel count, rule complexity, and data quality. Many agencies run one water year in parallel before full cutover.
Can this support multiple water years?
Yes. The system maintains multi-year history with carryover policies, prior year lookups, and water year boundaries agencies need for SGMA accounting.
Can this work alongside existing dashboards?
Yes. United Tracking Systems handles operational parcel accounting and grower workflows. Existing BI dashboards can continue for analytics while accounting runs in a purpose-built system.
Schedule a SGMA Workflow Review
Tell us about your allocation rules, grower population, and water year timeline. We will walk through the workflows that matter for your agency.