To manage and conserve water and other resources for the citizens of Butte County

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1 Butte County Water & Resource Conservation January, 2018 Volume 19, Issue 1 WaterSolutions To manage and conserve water and other resources for the citizens of Butte County Happy New Year Although we don t know everything that is in store this year, but if it is anything like last year it will be exciting. The past year was dominated by the continued implementation of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), state initiatives (i.e., WaterFix and Bay-Delta Water Quality Plan) and widely variable weather conditions. For many years, we have faced historic drought conditions. Last year, the pendulum swung the opposite way with historic amounts of precipitation resulting in improved groundwater and surface water conditions. But, we cannot assume that drought conditions are a thing of the past. While we appreciate the impressive precipitation in the 2017 water year, history has shown that precipitation patterns are highly variable. The bottom line is while we remain hopeful, we will continue to prepare for continued drought conditions. The drive to implement SGMA resulted in a number of important accomplishments. A major achievement was complying with the June 30, 2017 deadline to have each of the four subbasins covered by one or more groundwater sustainability agency (GSA) without any overlapping boundaries. The next phase of SGMA implementation is the development of groundwater sustainability plans (GSP) for each of the four subbasins. In November, a Proposition 1 grant application to develop GSPs for the Vina, West Butte, East Butte, and Wyandotte Creek subbasins was submitted. The grant funding will provide the necessary resources to develop a GSP in each subbasin by DWR expects to make decisions on GSP grant applications in early In the meantime, the GSAs in each of the subbasins are holding facilitated discussions to create governance structures for the purpose of producing and implementing a GSP for each subbasin. The Center for Collaborative Policy (California State University, Sacramento) are providing facilitated services through DWR. Lastly, the Groundwater Pumpers Advisory Committee (GPAC) provided an important forum for groundwater users to learn about SGMA and provide advice to Butte County. The GPAC will meet on January 16th at 8:30AM at the CSU Chico Farm, 311 Nicolas C. Shouten Lane, Chico. NEW YEAR>>> Inside this issue SGMA Update... 3 Vickie s Retirement... 3 Congratulations Christina... 4 New phone number... 4 Water Year Lake Oroville Storage... 6 Lake Oroville Winter Operations Plan... 6

2 >>> New Year (cont.) In 2017, the Department completed a number of projects. Subsidence Monitoring: Butte County joined other regional partners to support data collection for the Department of Water Resources subsidence monitoring program in the Sacramento Valley. The 2017 subsidence monitoring program measured ground elevations at hundreds of monuments in the Sacramento Valley. The 2017 measurements will be compared to measurements taken in The data will provide insights on whether subsidence has occurred in areas over this past decade. DWR expects to release the subsidence monitoring report in mid Stable Isotope Recharge Project: The Stable Isotope Recharge Investigation was completed in the fall of It improved our understanding of recharge sources and contributions of local precipitation and river water to the groundwater basin from well and creek samples mostly near Butte Creek. The Stable Isotope Recharge Project was made possible from the support of the Butte County Board of Supervisors. Interbasin Groundwater Flow Evaluation Project: In June, the Interbasin Groundwater Flow Evaluation project was completed. The project was funded by the Water Foundation program of the Resource Legacy Fund to advance SGMA implementation. The project was conducted on a regional basis and led by the Northern Sacramento Valley Integrated Region Water Management (NSVIRWM) Technical Advisory Committee. Using the expertise of technical collaborators, the project evaluated local and regional approaches to account for interbasin groundwater flow. The project provided recommendations for GSAs, DWR and USGS. PUBLIC WORKSHOP Please join us for a public workshop on The Evaluation of Restoration and Recharge Potential within Groundwater Basins in Butte County January 16, 2018, 4 6pm Chico Masonic Center 1110 W. East Ave., Chico Evaluation of Restoration and Recharge Potential within Groundwater Basins in Butte County: Funded from Proposition 1, the Evaluation of Restoration and Recharge Potential within Groundwater Basins in Butte County project was completed in December. The project assessed groundwater recharge potential throughout the county, evaluated the use of dual (surface and groundwater) systems and identified conjunctive management opportunities to advance sustainable groundwater management. The project will provide a framework for potential projects and actions to achieve greater groundwater sustainability. A presentation of the project will be given at the January Water Commission meeting. A public workshop will be held on January 16th from 4-6PM at the Chico Masonic Center, 1110 W. East Ave, Chico. Although the focus of water activities has been on SGMA, there were a lot of other important water activities this year. At the state level, the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) continued to undertake two interrelated regulatory decisions that could have profound impacts to Butte County and northern Sacramento Valley region. First, the SWRCB is in the process of considering the permit for the California WaterFix. The SWRCB is also in the process of preparing the Bay Delta Water Quality Plan. These actions could be devastating for the region including the loss of surface water and increased demand on groundwater. We cannot look back on 2017 with reflecting on the enormous toll to Butte County communities from the Lake Oroville incident, catastrophic fires, and localized flooding. Our thoughts go out to those who were affected by these incidents. 2

3 These are some but not all of the highlights from the past year. As we embrace the enormous challenges and opportunities ahead, we remain committed to conserve and manage water, the life blood to our economy, communities and environment. We wish you a happy, safe and healthy new year. SGMA Update Public outreach, collaboration with other agencies and building upon the County s water resource technical foundation drove activities in The Center for Collaborative Policy (CCP) team have been appraising the situation in each subbasin regarding potential governance options as it relates to GSP development and implementation. An initial public meeting for the Vina subbasin was held on December 18th. The meeting was well attended and had good discussion of stakeholder assessment findings and governance options. A subcommittee of Vina GSA managers was formed. The next public meeting for the Vina subbasin will be scheduled soon. Happy Retirement Vickie!!! After an outstanding career of dedicated public service, Vickie Newlin retired at the end of December We wish Vickie all the best in her new adventures. 3

4 Welcome Christina Buck as Assistant Director On January 1, 2018, Christina Buck will begin her tenure as the Assistant Director of the Department of Water and Resource Conservation. Christina began working for the Department as a student intern and, in 2012, joined the Department as the Water Resource Scientist. Christina holds a B.S. and M.S. in Hydrology and a Ph.D. in Hydrologic Sciences from the University of California at Davis. We are fortunate to have Christina s leadership and expertise at this critical stage in water resource management. Please join me in welcoming Christina in her new role as Assistant Director. DWRC phone number change By Autum Thomas Butte County Department of Water & Resource Conservation will be changing the mainline phone number to beginning January first. For the time being the number will be forwarded to the new number, however, we ask that you please update your contact information. 4

5 Water Year 2018 Here s the status By Christina Buck With a dry December almost behind us, this winter is starting to make us a little bit nervous. Let s take a look at where things are at so far. The water year got off to a dry start with very little precipitation in October. Then November came with a bang and provided enough rain to make up for the dry October and put precipitation levels just above average as we headed into December. Subsequently, a high pressure ridge off the west coast developed and clear, sunny skies have marked our countdown to Christmas and the New Year. As of December 21st, the Northern Sierra 8 station precipitation index stands at 80% of average for this date. A look at the snow water content in the northern Sierra tells a more severe story. As of December 21st, the snow water content is just 28% of average for this date. Other parts of the state have been much drier. Of course, it is much too early to tell how this water year will turn out. The good news is that surface water reservoirs are generally above average (see cgi-progs/products/rescond.pdf) for this time of year, which will help meet water needs throughout the state if the winter turns out to be dry. However, for additional recovery in the groundwater system to occur, another above average or wet year is needed to continue the upward trend in groundwater levels we have seen the last two years. In the meantime, continuing to use water wisely and conserve when possible is good water management regardless of how wet or dry the water year turns out to be. Here s to a wetter, snowier January! 5

6 Meeting Schedules Water Commission 1/3/2018, 1:30 p.m. Board of Supervisors Chambers 25 County Center Drive Board of Supervisors 1/9/2018, 9:00 a.m. Board of Supervisors Chambers 25 County Center Drive 1/22/2018, 9:00 a.m. Board of Supervisors Chambers 25 County Center Drive TAC Meeting 1/10/2018, 10:00 a.m. 202 Mira Loma Drive, Oroville, Klamath Room GPAC Meeting 1/16/2018, 8:30 a.m. 311 Nicola C. Shouten Lane, Chico, Room A009 Department of Water & Resource Conservation 308 Nelson Avenue Oroville, CA Phone: Fax: Website: waterandresource Water & Resource Conservation Staff Paul Gosselin, Director Christina Buck, Assistant Director Autum Thomas, Administrative Analyst, Associate Water Commission Kathy Chance Mark Grover DC Jones, Vice-Chair Tod Kimmelshue Mauny Roethler Ryan Schohr David Skinner, Chair Matthew Tennis Ernie Washington