Instead of waiting for Yuima Valley’s precious groundwater supplies to dry up, the Yuima Municipal Water District and local farmers are working cooperatively to create a sustainable long-term strategy for maintaining the region’s economy and quality of life by proactively managing the valley’s aquifer. …
Yuima farmers also have relied on groundwater supplies for decades. Crops such as citrus and avocado flourish in the valley, nestled between Palomar Mountain and Valley Center.
But Yuima farmers want a different kind of future than they see unfolding in other groundwater-dependent areas of arid West. … “
Read more from the Water News Network here: Cooperation Preserves Pauma Valley Groundwater
From the Tri County Sentry (Part 1):
“The Oxnard City Council discussed its water future in detail during the Jan. 15 Oxnard City Council meeting as the group learned about how it may allocate groundwater over the next 20 years. The group learned that it needs to make some adjustments and use less water moving forward, which will be a challenge.
Assistant City Attorney Khiri Klima made the presentation and said the Fox Canyon Groundwater Management Agency’s (GMA) groundwater allocation ordinance would significantly affect the city’s groundwater pumping for the next 20 years. … ”
Read more the Tri County Sentry here: Oxnard prepares for changes in groundwater use (Part 1)
Read Part 2 here: Water rates in Oxnard may rise in the future
From the Ventura County Star:
“A state water management agency will consider a new pumping allocation formula on Wednesday that city officials fear will lead to higher water rates. The Fox Canyon Groundwater Management Agency board is expected to vote on an ordinance that sets pumping allocation for agricultural and municipal users.
The proposal calls for municipal and industrial users to pump no more than 35,000 acre-feet of groundwater a year, representing less than 40 percent of the total allocation. There are two groups that pump water from the Oxnard and Pleasant Valley basins — agricultural and municipal and industrial. Negotiations have been taking place for years with the groundwater management agency as it prepares a sustainability plan under state conservation mandates. … ”
Read more from the Ventura County Star here: Ventura County: Groundwater allocation between cities and agriculture up for discussion
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
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
