Sustainable Groundwater Management Act 2014

Transcription

1 Sustainable Groundwater Management Act 2014

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3 Water Related Matters Out Of State in 2014 California Water Action Plan (January 2014) Water Conservation Expand Water Storage and improve groundwater management Manage and prepare for dry periods 2014 Water Bond $7.5 billion dollar Water Conservation and recycling Groundwater cleanup Water Storage Sustainable Groundwater Management Act Comprehensive legislation for the management of groundwater Signed into law September 16, 2014

4 Sustainable Groundwater Management Act Legislative Package SB 1168 (Pavley) AB 1739 (Dickinson) SB 1319 (Pavley) Signed by Governor Brown on September 16, 2014 Collectively referred to as the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (Act)

5 Legislative Process Concept Papers State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) Draft released October 2013 Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA) Approved by ACWA Board March 2014 California Water Foundation Released May 2014 Legislative Hearings Joint Legislative/Administration Public Workshops Roughly seven months from introduction to signature by the Governor

6 Overarching Concepts Local Control Groundwater Sustainability Plans Groundwater balance (extraction inflow) Land Use Coordination State Technical Support State Oversight/Intervention Respect Surface Water and Private Property Rights Questions to be answered as the process unravels

7 Applicability/Geographic Scope Bulletin 118 subbasins Priority of high and medium basins Basins in a condition of critical overdraft Department of Water Resources (DWR) to update basin designations by January 31, 2015 (Recently adopted June 2014 inventory for initial designations) Basin Boundaries Adjustment Process DWR to develop regulations by June 1, 2016

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10 Groundwater Sustainability Agencies Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA) Local Agencies public agency with water or land use authority Counties to be responsible for areas not covered by other public agency GSA may be formed from more than one public agency GSA required to be formed by June 30, 2017

11 Groundwater Sustainability Plans (GSP) Must Cover the Entire Basin Types of Plans Single Plan/One GSA Single Plan/Multiple GSAs Multiple Plans/Multiple GSAs Coordination Agreements Plans are Exempt from CEQA (implementation is not)

12 Sustainable Groundwater Management Plans Components Mirror Requirements of AB 3030/SB 1938 Groundwater Management Plans (GWMP) Fresno County GWMP Goals (1997) Optimize volume of useable groundwater Preclude water exports that decrease long-term volume of groundwater Protect groundwater quality Develop data necessary to meet plan goals and objectives Linkage to the Local Agencies General Plan Sustainability in 20 years Interim milestones 5 year increments Measureable objectives

13 What is Sustainable Groundwater Management? Management and use that can be maintained during the planning and implementation horizon without causing undesirable results, based on significant and unreasonable standards: Chronic lowering of groundwater levels Reduction in groundwater storage Seawater Intrusion Degraded Water Quality Land Subsidence Surface water depletions that have adverse impacts on beneficial uses

14 Sustainable Groundwater Management Plans Compliance Tools (Discretionary) Well extraction limits Well permit regulations Well metering/reporting Fees Enhanced water management projects Land Use Enforcement

15 Role of the State - DWR Basin Prioritization Regulation Adoption Technical Assistance Determination of compliance of Groundwater Sustainability Plans

16 Role of the State - SWRCB Intervention Probationary basin designation GSA not formed by June 20, 2017 Creation of interim plans GSP not in place by January 31, 2020 Local control will last as long as locals work together

17 Implementation Schedule 2015 January 31 st DWR update to basin prioritization (Completed) June 1 st DWR to adopt regulations for evaluating Groundwater Sustainability Plans 2016 December 31st DWR to publish a report on water availability for replenishment of groundwater in the state

18 Implementation Schedule 2017 January 1 st DWR to publish best management practices for the sustainable management of groundwater (GSPs) June 30 th Deadline for formation of a GSA July 1 st SWRCB ability to designate a basin as probationary

19 Implementation Schedule 2020 and beyond January 31, 2020 Deadline for Groundwater Sustainability Plans to be adopted for critically overdrafted priority basins January 31, 2040 Groundwater Sustainability Agencies in critically overdrafted basins achieve sustainability goal Low priority basins will follow two years later respectively

20 What to expect in Fresno County Fresno County overlies five groundwater subbasins Kings Westside Madera Pleasant Valley Delta Mendota

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22 What to expect in Fresno County Over 50 stakeholders to coordinate with including Cities (Fresno, Clovis, etc ) Counties (Madera, Kings, Tulare, Merced) Irrigation Districts (FID, CID, etc ) Water Districts Public Utility Districts (Unincorporated Communities) Community Service Districts Property Owners

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25 What to expect in Fresno County White Areas not covered by a public agency Central Fresno County Northwest Fresno County Southeast Fresno County

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27 Efforts thus far in Fresno County Outreach and communication Initial meetings with stakeholders (KRCD, FID, CID, AID, WWD) Consensus understanding of the Act GSA formation strategies GSP development strategies GSP implementation strategies Monitoring Legislative Development SB 13 (Pavley) Monitoring Rulemaking Development

28 Current Tools in Fresno County Existing Groundwater Regulation Groundwater Transfer Ordinance (2000) General Plan Policies PFC-17 Groundwater Management Plan (1997) Optimize volume of useable groundwater Preclude water exports that decrease long-term volume of groundwater Protect groundwater quality Develop data necessary to meet plan goals and objectives

29 Challenges Ahead White areas Lack of surface water availability Disproportionate Adverse Economic Impacts Differing public agency perspectives Funding Implementation Infrastucture Potential regulations on current/future agriculture practices

30 Challenges Ahead Aggressive Legislative Timeline Monitor clean up legislation Monitor and engage in rule making process Continuing Outreach Efforts Refine governance model(s) among stakeholders to have a more formal dialogue to lay foundation of GSAs Identifying funding strategies

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