Media article – Page 16 – Groundwater Exchange

Groundwater loss prompts more California land sinking

From the Cornell University Chronicle:

“Despite higher-than-normal amounts of rain in early 2017, the large agricultural and metropolitan communities that rely on groundwater in central California experienced only a short respite from an ongoing drought.

When the rain stopped, drought conditions returned and the ground has continued to sink, by up to a half-meter annually, according to a new Cornell study in Science Advances. … “

Read more at the Cornell Chronicle: Groundwater loss prompts more California land sinking

Statewide November vote could be key to solving Borrego Springs water woes

From the San Diego Union Tribune:

“A major step toward solving the water woes of the desert community of Borrego Springs depends on passage of a statewide $8.8 billion bond initiative in November known as Proposition 3.

If it passes, $35 million would go to Borrego, much of which would be used to purchase and fallow farmland in the Borrego Valley.

“We are very hopeful,” said Beth Hart, president of the Borrego Water District. “If it goes through then the struggles the community has been facing and will be facing in the future under the Sustainable Ground Management Act (SGMA) will find some significant relief.” … “

Read more from the San Diego Union Tribune here: Statewide November vote could be key to solving Borrego Springs water woes

Why the Environment Is a Big Winner in California’s Groundwater Law

From Water Deeply:

“When California passed its landmark groundwater law in 2014, there was a collective “it’s about time” across the West. But even though California may have been late in issuing a robust groundwater management law, it does set a high bar in at least one key area.

“In regards to the environment, it is actually quite progressive in that it actually explicitly mentions that groundwater-dependent ecosystems need to be identified and there can’t be impacts to them,” said Melissa Rohde, a groundwater scientist at The Nature Conservancy.

If you’re not quite sure what a groundwater-dependent ecosystem (GDE) is, you’re not alone. Many newly formed groundwater sustainability agencies that have resulted from California’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) are also just figuring that out. … “

Click here to continue reading at Water Deeply.

Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority board updated on pump fee, Prop. 1 grant status

From the Ridgecrest Independent:

“Things are pacing along with the Department of Water Resources as the Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority awaits final authorization on a set of Proposition 1 grants, according to the agency’s water resources manager.

Steve Johnson, president of Stetson Engineers, Inc. and the Groundwater Authority’s water resources manager, provided an update to the agency’s board of directors on Aug. 16. He noted that revised agreements have been submitted to the state before it executes the $2.1 million grant agreement. … “

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‘Exchange Pools’: Los Angeles Provides Innovative Groundwater Strategy

From Water Deeply:

“Across California, Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSAs) are devising plans to reduce long-term overdraft. As part of the 2014 Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, GSAs will submit plans in 2020–22, which detail strategies to bring groundwater use into balance by 2040.

Planning processes must assemble stakeholders and estimate sustainable yields of groundwater, quantify existing pumping, describe future options to limit overdraft and identify funding. GSAs are actively searching for ways to stretch limited supplies and sustainably use the underground storage space created by decades of overdraft, drawing on lessons of previous regional agreements. … “

Read more from Water Deeply here: ‘Exchange Pools’: Los Angeles Provides Innovative Groundwater Strategy

Owens Valley Groundwater Authority comes of age

From Sierra Wave:

“The decision to go high or low was more than a political strategy popularized by Michele Obama. For the Owens Valley Groundwater Authority it represented a total commitment to groundwater sustainability under state regulations.

Here’s the deal: the Owens Valley groundwater basin was ranked as a medium priority, requiring the development of a groundwater agency and sustainability plan. Local use would have landed the basin in the low category but the exports by Los Angeles Department of Water and Power landed the valley in the medium range. … “

Click here to continue reading at Sierra Wave.

Indian Wells Valley Water district weighs in on Groundwater Authority

From the Ridgecrest Independent:

“The Indian Wells Valley Water District board offered up its thoughts on the IWV Groundwater Authority ahead of the latter agency’s meeting today.

At the heart of those concerns was the continued request for a standing finance committee and questions on the Groundwater Authority’s budget as it prepares a groundwater sustainability plan for the IWV basin.

Peter Brown, the Water District’s representative on the board, said he submitted questions on the budget back in June. … “

Continue reading at the Ridgecrest Independent by clicking here.

Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority meets Thursday

From the Ridgecrest Independent:

“The Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority board of directors may face a light agenda as it meets Thursday morning.

According to the agenda packet, the Groundwater Authority board will hear from Steve Johnson of Stetson Engineers, who acts as the agency’s water resources manager.

Johnson will also report on the status of the agency’s Proposition 1 grant that it was awarded from the state, reports on the status and schedule of the groundwater extraction fee adopted in July and the first draft of a GSP outline. … “

Santa Clarita Valley files lawsuit against Whittaker Corporation

From The Signal:

“SCV Water filed a lawsuit Wednesday against the Whittaker Corporation, seeking to cover the cost of removing two harmful contaminants — volatile organic compounds and perchlorate — from the Santa Clarita Valley groundwater basin.

The suit was filed in the U.S. Central District Court of California, comes ahead of just months ahead of when Whittaker claims it will be

“Despite the recent news accounts and public relations charm campaign to depict the Whittaker site cleanup as ‘nearly complete,’ the legacy of their historic contamination of the community’s groundwater basin remains to be fully addressed,” said Matt Stone, general manager of SCV Water, in a prepared statement Thursday. … “

Continue reading from The Signal by clicking here.

New groundwater rules hurting ag land prices

From the Business Journal:

“Groundwater sustainability agencies (GSAs) in Tulare, Fresno, Kings and Kern counties have until 2020 to develop plans for long-term viability of their regions’ supplies. In other California counties where state officials deem the groundwater overdraft problem less critical, their GSAs will have until 2022 to finalize their plans.

Once those plans are done, the various groups will have 20 years to implement them, with a common goal of halting in their areas the overdraft of groundwater.

The law requiring these plans, the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), already is having a big effect on prices for agricultural land, particularly in the areas from Madera County down to Kern county, where some of the most severe over drafting in the state commonly occurs. … “