ITEM:		ACTION ITEM
16.	CONSIDER DISTRICT ASSUMING ROLE OF GROUNDWATER SUSTAINABILITY AGENCY FOR CARMEL VALLEY ALLUVIAL AQUIFER
Meeting Date:			August 17, 2015	Budgeted:	N/A
From:			David J. Stoldt,	Program/	N/A
			General Manager	Line Item No.:	N/A
Prepared By:			David J. Stoldt	Cost Estimate:	N/A
General Counsel Review: N/A
Committee Recommendation: N/A
CEQA Compliance: N/A

SUMMARY: The Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) was signed into law on September 16, 2014 and was comprised of three separate bills, AB 1739, SB 1168, and SB 1319. SGMA provides for local or regional management of groundwater. Section 10723 of SB 1168 states, “the following agencies created by statute to manage groundwater shall be deemed the exclusive local agencies within their respective statutory boundaries with powers to” become a groundwater sustainability agency (GSA) and specifically lists 15 local agencies of which Monterey Peninsula Water Management District is one.

GSAs must be formed by June 30, 2017 although many have already been formed across the state. At this time, the General Manager is recommending the Board elect the District to become GSA for the Carmel Valley Alluvial Aquifer now, and after consultation with other affected parties, to become GSA for the Seaside Groundwater Basin at a later date.

The process to become a GSA requires a public hearing which would be at the Board’s September meeting whereupon the Board would adopt a resolution electing to become the GSA. The hearing must be noticed in the newspaper for two successive weeks. Subsequent to the hearing the District will file notice of intent with the Department of Water Resources, as well as file basin boundaries and a list of interested parties.

RECOMMENDATION: The Board should consider authorizing staff to post notice of a public hearing scheduled for the September Board meeting, hold the public hearing, and file Notice of Intent with the State Department of Water Resources to become GSA for the Carmel Valley Alluvial Aquifer.

BACKGROUND: 80 percent of Californians rely, in part, on groundwater. Groundwater storage is 10-times the water stored in surface reservoirs, but until SGMA was signed into law California did not have a framework for the regulation of groundwater. SGMA defines sustainable groundwater management and requires that medium- and high-priority basins form GSAs by June 30, 2017 and adopt Groundwater Sustainability Plans (GSPs) within 5-7 years. The GSPs will provide detailed physical descriptions, monitoring and management provisions, and describe interaction with other plans such as general plans. The GSP must indicate a path to sustainability within 20 years of adoption. “Sustainable” as described in SGMA includes no “surface water depletions that have significant and unreasonable adverse impacts on beneficial users.”

There are 515 basins in California, of which 127 are medium- or high-priority. The basins and their boundaries are described in DWR Bulletin 118. The Carmel Valley Alluvial Aquifer is a “high-priority” basin and the Seaside Groundwater Basin is “medium-priority”. Adjudicated basins do not require a GSP and have reduced reporting requirements.

EXHIBIT

None

U:\staff\Boardpacket\2015\20150817\ActionItems\16\Item16.docx