Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority talk health and safety, imported water
From the Ridgecrest Independent:
“Health and safety concerns became a topic of discussion at Thursday’s Indian Wells Valley Groundwater board meeting when Ridgecrest resident Nick Panzer broached the subject. Speaking during public comment, Panzer presented a letter to board addressing possible water allocations down the road as the Groundwater Authority prepares its sustainability plan.
“We must end overdraft in our basin,” Panzer said. “That means we must reduce pumping from about 28,000 acre feet a year to about 7,000 acre-feet per year.” … ”
Read more from the Ridgecrest Independent here: Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority talk health and safety, imported water
Paso Robles: Defending pumping
From New Times San Luis Obispo:
“A Santa Clara County jury served four Paso Robles-area government agencies a victory in court on Sept. 24, concluding in a unanimous ruling that those public water purveyors had established a right to pump from the Paso Robles Groundwater Basin—even in adverse conditions, like a drought.
After a month-long trial stemming from a 2013 lawsuit filed by private landowners, the jury ruled that the agencies—San Luis Obispo County, the city of Paso Robles, Templeton Community Services District (CSD), and San Miguel CSD—successfully proved that they’d established overriding rights to basin water between 1981 and 1990, when the aquifer was in a state of overdraft. … ”
Read more from New Times SLO here: Defending pumping
California Leans Heavily on its Groundwater, But Will a Court Decision Tip the Scales Against More Pumping?
From Western Water:
“In 1983, a landmark California Supreme Court ruling forced Los Angeles to cut back its take of water from Eastern Sierra creeks that fed Mono Lake. Some 35 years later, an appellate court concluded the same public trust doctrine that applied in the Mono Lake case also applies to groundwater that feeds a navigable river in a picturesque corner of far Northern California. But will this latest ruling have the same impact on California water resources as the historic Mono Lake decision?”
Read more from Western Water here: California Leans Heavily on its Groundwater, But Will a Court Decision Tip the Scales Against More Pumping?
Why California law requires a clear benefit for groundwater recharge
From Water Deeply:
“Researchers at the University of California recently highlighted a flaw in state law that may prohibit diverting streamflow to recharge groundwater. The problem is that groundwater recharge by itself is not considered a “beneficial use” under state law, and meeting that definition is a requirement to obtain a permit to divert water.
Officials at the State Water Resources Control Board, which oversees water rights, say the reality is not so clear-cut. In fact, existing rules allow most groundwater recharge projects to obtain a water right. It’s just that they may not be awarded that right for the act of recharge by itself. The applicant would have to specifically target some ancillary benefit of recharge, such as salinity control in an aquifer or reversing land subsidence caused by overpumping groundwater. … ”
Read more from Water Deeply here: Why California law requires a clear benefit for groundwater recharge
Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority’s light agenda features POAM, Prop 1 status
From the Ridgecrest Independent:
“The Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority meets Thursday at 11 a.m. at Ridgecrest City Council council chambers, 100 W. California Ave.
The Groundwater Authority board will have a light agenda, including a report from Steve Johnson, the water resources manager and president of Stetson Engineers. Johnson’s report will include discussion of the Groundwater Authority’s Plan of Action and Milestones, which serves as the agency’s roadmap in developing the Groundwater Sustainability Plan, as well as topics including the status of a Proposition 1 grant application, and updates on the pumping fee status and schedule. … ”
Read more from the Ridgecrest Independent here: Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority’s light agenda features POAM, Prop 1 status
Groundwater: Local agencies await finalized basin priorities
From Ag Alert:
“As local agencies tackle the task of writing groundwater sustainability plans for basins around California, two ongoing processes will affect both the number and the scope of those plans.
Next month, the state Department of Water Resources plans to finalize its rankings of basins and sub-basins that will need to produce groundwater management plans by early 2022. Next spring, DWR plans to finalize boundaries for 43 basins where local agencies requested changes before writing their plans.
Meanwhile, agencies overseeing critically overdrafted basins must have their sustainability plans finished in about 15 months—by Jan. 31, 2020. … “
Read more from Ag Alert here: Groundwater: Local agencies await finalized basin priorities
The Connection between Groundwater and Surface Water
From the PPIC Blog:
“When the California Legislature created the “modern” water rights regulatory system more than a century ago, it focused exclusively on surface water, exempting groundwater from the permitting system. Yet in most watersheds, surface water and groundwater are closely linked. Actions that change one often have an impact on the other. The arbitrary legal divide has made it harder to manage the state’s water. But a recent law and a new court decision have done a better job of connecting surface water and groundwater.
When rain falls or snow melts in the foothills and mountains of California, water follows several pathways downhill and into rivers and streams. Some water moves across the land or through deep soils and weathered bedrock, arriving in rivers hours to weeks after rain or snowmelt. And some percolates deep into the ground, becoming groundwater. … “
Read more from the PPIC blog here: The Connection between Groundwater and Surface Water
METROPOLITAN WATER DISTRICT: Update on Southern California regional groundwater conditions
Data shows groundwater recharge in the region has declined by 1.1 MAF since 2000; storage remains at unhealthy levels
From Maven’s Notebook:
“At the October meeting of Metropolitan’s Water Planning and Stewardship Committee, Senior Engineer Matt Hacker updated the committee members on regional groundwater conditions, including groundwater production, recharge, and storage conditions.
There are 88 groundwater basins and subbasins within the Metropolitan service area. Groundwater provides over 1/3rd of the region’s water supplies. 89% of the basins within the Metropolitan service area either are adjudicated or managed. … “
Continue reading at Maven’s Notebook here: METROPOLITAN WATER DISTRICT: Update on Southern California regional groundwater conditions
Acampo vineyard flooded in experiment to recharge aquifer
From the Stockton Record:
“The setting was a 14-acre grape vineyard, but the mismatched background noise was that of a babbling brook. The roots of some of the old-vine Zinfandel plants were submerged in foot-deep water pumped in from the Mokelumne River, a half-mile away. Other old-vine Zinfandel plants were bone dry.
A science experiment being conducted by the nonprofit Sustainable Conservation is taking place on land owned by 81-year-old farmer Al Costa, an enthusiastic participant. … ”
Read more from the Stockton Record here: Acampo vineyard flooded in experiment to recharge aquifer
FUNDING OPPORTUNITY: Bureau of Reclamation provides funding opportunity for established watershed groups for on-the-ground watershed management projects
From the Bureau of Reclamation:
The Bureau of Reclamation has opened a funding opportunity for watershed groups to seek funding to implement on-the-ground watershed management projects for their communities. The funding provided through the Cooperative Watershed Management Program helps local stakeholders develop local solutions that will improve water reliability while reducing conflict, addressing complex water issues and stretching limited water supplies.
Reclamation anticipates awarding between six and 10 projects through this funding opportunity. To view the funding opportunity, please visit grants.gov and search for opportunity number BOR-DO-18-F013. Applications are due on January 30, 2019 by 4:00 p.m. MDT.
Each project may receive up to $300,000 in federal funding. The recipient must provide a minimum of 50-percent of the total project costs.
To be eligible for this funding, the applicant must be a watershed group. A watershed group is defined as a grassroots, non-regulatory entity that addresses water availability and quality issues with the relevant watershed, is capable of promoting the sustainable use of water resources in the watershed, makes decisions on a consensus basis, and represents a diverse group of stakeholders, including irrigated agriculture, the environment, municipal water suppliers, hydroelectric producers, livestock grazing, timber production, land development, recreation or tourism, private property owners, federal, state and local governments, and tribes.
To learn more about the Cooperative Watershed Management Program, please visit https://www.usbr.gov/watersmart/cwmp/.
Through WaterSMART, Reclamation works cooperatively with States, Tribes, and local entities as they plan for and implement actions to increase water supply through investments to modernize existing infrastructure and attention to local water conflicts. Visit https://www.usbr.gov/watersmart for additional information about the program.