. 1 In 2014, at the height of the drought, the public and policy - PDF document

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In 2014, at the height of the drought, the public and policy makers were seeing photos like this, which shows that – due to overpumping of groundwater – land sunk in this area of the San Joaquin Valley by 5 feet in 25 years. We also saw photos of dead orchards, and communities receiving their water from trucks as wells dried up. These images and the outcry from residents prompted legislature to pass and Governor to sign the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act in 2014. 2

Sonoma County has more domestic wells than any other county in California. While the number is rough, here in Santa Rosa Plain an estimated 32,000 people living on the valley floor rely on groundwater for drinking water. Thousands of other people live in the cities, towns and water districts, that rely on groundwater during droughts and emergencies, and as an important supplemental supply 3

Most farmers, ranchers and growers rely on groundwater to irrigate vines, orchards and row crops and to water their livestock and process food crops. 4

Groundwater both provides water directly to many important plant species, and also is a source of water for creeks and streams that support endangered and threatened steelhead, salmon, and frogs. 5

Despite local and statewide reliance on groundwater, California was the last western state to regulate groundwater when in 2015 the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act went into effect. This statewide law first affects those groundwater basins that are critically overdrafted (primarily in the Central Valley, but also some coastal communities) and basins that are categorized by the California Department of Water Resources as medium and high priority. In Sonoma County, Petaluma Valley and Santa Rosa Plain are medium priority basins and Sonoma Valley is a high priority basin. All three basins are on the same time schedule and have the same requirements to comply with SGMA. 6

The groundwater basin is defined by the state by its geology. A US Geological Survey a study of the watershed (an area larger than the basin) found that annually we have a small groundwater deficit – in other words, more groundwater is withdrawn than goes into the system. 7

In compliance with SGMA, the Santa Rosa Plain Sustainability Agency was created in 2017. The decision‐making Board is comprised elected or appointed officials. In addition, the basin has an advisory committee that provides stakeholder feedback and input to staff. Together, the board and advisory committee represent a broad swath of interests, including rural residential well owners, agriculture, business, environmental interests, and water suppliers. 8

SGMA has three basic steps. Creating the GSA was the first step. The Santa Rosa Plain GSA continues to comply with the new law by creating a Groundwater Sustainability Plan – Step 2 ‐‐ that details the issues/concerns with local groundwater and that includes a detailed road map for how these concerns will be addressed to ensure there is enough water for people and the environment today and 50 years into the future 9

The six key indicators of a healthy groundwater system are indicated by: groundwater levels, groundwater storage, land subsidence, seawater intrusion, water quality and the levels of streams/wetlands that are connected to groundwater. The GSP will address all six of these indicators in the Santa Rosa Plain, to make a difference in our long term groundwater sustainability. 10

In 2020, the Board and Advisory Committee of the GSA are quantitatively defining these indicators to develop Sustainable Management Criteria. These locally defined Sustainable Management Criteria are the heart of the Groundwater Sustainability Plan. They will help determine how groundwater is managed for the next 50 years. 11

SGMA requires that sustainability be defined by specific terminology, which is shown in the slide in italics. While complying with SGMA, the GSA is striving to make the language and concepts understandable to everyone. The important thing to remember is that Sustainable Management Criteria are defined locally, based on the conditions of our basin. It’s also important to understand that: 1. The SMCs must be measurable, so we can determine if we are making improvements, and 2. There are check‐ins every 5 years, so we can adjust the plan as we learn more about the basin and to reflect new conditions. An example of a sustainability indicator: For groundwater levels, sustainability could be measured by ensuring that the level of groundwater will not drop to within 20 feet of the bottom of residential wells during a drought. 12

How Sustainable Management Criteria are defined will determine the projects and actions that will be needed to ensure a healthy basin These projects and actions could be as simple as developing water conservation programs that provide well users with low‐flow shower heads and toilets and assistance with irrigation systems. Or they could be as complex as developing projects that would expand the availability of recycled water to farmers, parks and schools which may use groundwater for irrigation. 13

Most of the costs of developing the plan and some long‐term monitoring wells are being covered by $2 million in grants that the GSA received from the California Department of Water Resources. The other costs are being funded by local agencies. The GSA is committed to aggressively seeking grant funding to help pay for the costs of implementing the plan , but because groundwater users will ultimately benefit from a healthier basin, they will also likely pay some fees to help cover the costs. The GSA won’t start working on the budget until 2021, but the work that is happening in 2020 is a key building block to future actions. It’s important that groundwater users and people who care about the health of the aquifer share their thoughts now about what sustainability means to you. 14

Santa Rosa Plain funding: Groundwater User Fee • Fee enacted by ordinance in June 2019 • Fee is $19.90 per acre foot of groundwater pumped • For rural homeowners, fee would be equivalent to $9.95 annually • Cities of Cotati, Rohnert Park, Santa Rosa, Sebastopol, Town of Windsor, and Sonoma Water are paying fees based on amount of groundwater pumped • Contributions from the County of Sonoma and Sonoma Water (through June 30, 2022) are offsetting the fees that would have been paid by all other groundwater users 6/16/2020 SONOMAVALLEYGROUNDWATER.ORG 15

Santa Rosa Plain Groundwater Registration Program • A simple, free, one-time registration program that will allow the GSA to verify basic information about groundwater use • Does NOT require meters to be installed on wells • Does NOT require groundwater users to monitor their water use (although people are welcome to join the voluntary monitoring program) • Does NOT require groundwater users to fill out forms, unless they want to share or correct information • Will launch in Summer/Fall 2020 16

How does the Groundwater Registration Program work? Step 1. Owners of parcels assumed to use groundwater will receive a letter from the GSA that includes: o Parcel number, address, parcel size, type of land use Step 2. If information is correct , groundwater users can: o Do nothing OR o Contact GSA to provide optional additional information (well location, depth, water quality concerns, etc.) Step 3. If information is incorrect, groundwater users can: o Go online/call to make corrections 17

There are several ways you can provide feedback Sign up to receive Monthly Updates and other information that will keep you informed; Come to the 2020 Community Workshops; Attend Board and Advisory Committee meetings); Look for the online sustainability survey (March/April); Talk to the Advisory Committee or Board members; Contact the GSA and arrange for a speaker to your neighborhood group! Questions? 15