Landowner Meeting Sustainable Groundwater Management Act Update - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Landowner Meeting – Sustainable Groundwater Management Act Update

March 9, 2018

North Kern Water Storage District

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Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) Update – Agenda

March 9, 2018

1. Opening Remarks Board of Directors 2. SGMA Background and Schedule 3. Activities Focus to Date a. Kern Groundwater Authority (KGA) b. Kern River Miller-Haggin Groundwater Group c. “Poso” Group d. Surface Water Rights/North Kern Project 4. Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP) Preparation a. Coordination b. Activity Schedule c. “Umbrella” (KGA)/”Chapter” (North Kern) d. North Kern Chapter Approach e. Communications

• 5. Landowner Questions and Comments

North Kern Water Storage District

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North Kern Objectives

• Minimize impact on North Kern landowners (costs and fallowing) by:
• Maintaining a positive long-term surface water supply balance
• Maintain access to historical Kern River supplies
• Expand direct recharge capabilities to capture additional wet year supplies
• Develop other supplies (unbalanced exchanges; additional produced water,

etc.)

• Confirming rights to supplies banked in the basin through conjunctive

use operations

North Kern Water Storage District

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How did we get here?

• Projects to import Federal and State water into Kern County helped

stabilize groundwater levels for the 30 year period from the late 1970s into the mid-2000s, but less imported water has been available over the last 10 years

175’ 125’

West-East Groundwater Profiles Along Kimberlina Road

Approximate Current Levels

North Kern Water Storage District

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SGMA Background and Schedule

• Enacted in 2014 in response to chronic

reductions in groundwater storage and water levels

• Requires formation of “Groundwater

Sustainability Agency” (GSA) – 2017

• Requires that GSA manage

groundwater to prevent “undesirable results”:



• Requires preparation of a “Groundwater Sustainability Plan” (GSP) - 2020
• Must have measurable objectives with 5-year milestones to achieve sustainability in 20

years (by 2040)

• Failure to act will result in State Board imposing their plan with potential immediate

pumping restrictions

North Kern Water Storage District

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Kern Subbasin Groundwater Sustainability Agencies

2040+ 2020 2025 2030 2035

*For medium and high priority basins in critical overdraft

2015

March 2016 Basin Boundary Adjustments Due June 2017 GSA Formation Deadline 2040 Sustainability Goal Apr 2020 & Each Following Year Annual Report Due Jan 2020 GSP Completion Deadline* Every 5 Years Interim Milestones & 5‐Year Assessments

2010

Sept 2014 SGMA Signed Into Law

SGMA Timeline

North Kern Water Storage District

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Activity Focus to Date

1. Kern Groundwater Authority (KGA)

a. General Coordination with DWR and Other Basins b. Review of DWR SGMA Regulations c. White Papers (GSP Coordination Components) d. Valley-Wide Evapotranspiration Estimates – 1992-2016 e. Stakeholder Workshops - Issue Identification (Center for Collaborative Policy) f. Groundwater Modeling - with Kern River GSA; RMC Water and Environment g. GSA Formation (North Kern is part of the KGA GSA) h. Draft Coordination Agreement i. Kern GSA Policy Group j. KGA Management Team - Basin Coordinator and Planner k. Legal Issues Review l. GEI Tasks

i. GSP Framework (Umbrella and Chapter) ii. Support for Coordination Committee and Urban Committee iii. Grant Support iv. Water Accounting Framework

North Kern Water Storage District

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Activity Focus to Date

2. Kern River Miller-Haggin Groundwater Group 3. “Poso” Group

a. Hydrologic Conceptual Model (to support Basin Setting requirements of GSP)

North Kern Water Storage District

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Groundwater Sustainability Plans (GSP)

• DWR completed emergency

regulations in June 2016

Required Coordination Elements (a) Groundwater elevation data (b) Groundwater extraction data (c) Surface water supply (d) Total water use (e) Change in groundwater storage (f) Water budget (g) Sustainable yield

North Kern Water Storage District

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DWR Sustainable Management Criteria BMP (Draft)

(t) “Minimum threshold” refers to a numeric value for each sustainability indicator used to define undesirable results. (h) “Sustainability indicator” refers to any of the effects caused by groundwater conditions occurring throughout the basin that, when significant and unreasonable, cause undesirable results, as described in Water Code Section 10721(x) 50 ft MSL?

North Kern Water Storage District

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Kern Subbasin Generalized GSP Schedule

North Kern Water Storage District

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Relative GSP Responsibility:

“Umbrella” = KGA “Chapter” = District/Management Area Chapter Name Umbrella Chapter KGA Role Introduction Prepare Content Sub-basin Setting Summarize Content, Prepare Water Budgets Sustainability Goals Guidance, Summarize Content Monitoring Network Guidance, Summarize Content Management Criteria Guidance, Summarize Content, Modeling Water Supply Allocation Summarize Content, Modeling Projects/Management Actions Summarize Content, Modeling Database Management Develop Architecture and Implement Modeling Prepare Content, Modeling Consultant Implementation Guidance, Summarize Content

North Kern Water Storage District

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KGA 2018 GSP Preparation Tasks

North Kern Water Storage District

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North Kern Chapter GSP Approach

• Options:

1. North Kern stand-alone GSP

• Highest level of flexibility and control
• Likely more expensive

2. North Kern “Management Area” GSP with City of Shafter, Shafter-Wasco ID and City of Wasco

• City boundaries overlap Shafter-Wasco and North Kern
• Reduces need for “coordination”
• Likely less expensive - pooling of resources
• North Kern is moving forward with Option 2

– Cooperative Agreement – GEI Proposal

North Kern Water Storage District

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• Regular Informational Meetings
• Regular Email Communications/Activities Updates
• “Advisory Committee”/Working Group
• SGMA Legislation 10727.8.

The groundwater sustainability agency may appoint and consult with an advisory committee consisting of interested parties for the purposes of developing and implementing a groundwater sustainability plan. The groundwater sustainability agency shall encourage the active involvement of diverse social, cultural, and economic elements of the population within the groundwater basin prior to and during the development and implementation of the groundwater sustainability plan.

Communications Plan (Stakeholder Outreach)

North Kern Water Storage District

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Conclusion

• Much SGMA work needs to be done before the end of 2019
• Not expected to have “all the answers” in initial GSP –

information and knowledge will be acquired over time and plans will be adapted accordingly (“adaptive management”)

• Some coordination issues may be “sticky”
• District will communicate regularly and effectively with

landowners

North Kern Water Storage District

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Questions, Comments and Suggestions

March 9, 2018

Landowner Meeting – Sustainable Groundwater Management Act Update

March 9, 2018