LEX VINI

Deadline to Comment on Napa County’s New Draft Groundwater Sustainability Workplans is January 30, 2024

ATTENTION: The following proposed measures will impact existing groundwater pumpers in the Napa Valley Subbasin. Napa County’s Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP) was approved by the California Department of Water Resources on January 26, 2023. The approved GSP identified the need to develop a Water Conservation Workplan and Groundwater Pumping Reduction Workplan. The GSP also identified […]

Deadline Is October 1, 2023 To Apply for Continuation Under Napa County’s Winery Waste Discharge Program

DEADLINE IS OCTOBER 1, 2023 TO APPLY FOR CONTINUATION UNDER NAPA COUNTY’S WINERY WASTE DISCHARGE PROGRAM The deadline to apply for Napa County’s Winery Waste Discharge Program was recently extended. For wineries currently enrolled in Napa County’s Winery Waste Discharge Program, the deadline to apply for continuation under the program is coming up on Sunday, […]

Deadline to Apply for Continuation Under Napa County’s Winery Waste Discharge Program

DEADLINE IS AUGUST 1, 2023 TO APPLY FOR CONTINUATION UNDER NAPA COUNTY’S WINERY WASTE DISCHARGE PROGRAM As California winery operators are likely aware, the new California Statewide General Waste Discharge Requirements for Winery Process Water Order requires compliance for most existing wineries beginning January 20, 2024. However, Napa County has arranged to continue its existing […]

Napa County Appoints Agricultural Protection Advisory Committee

Last week, the Napa County Board of Supervisors appointed members to the recently-formed Agricultural Protection Advisory Committee (“APAC”). APAC is an advisory body of the Napa County Planning Commission, and it was formed in order to evaluate and make policy recommendations on Napa County’s Winery Definition Ordinance and other regulations governing winery development within Napa […]

Napa Lot Line Adjustments and Involuntary Mergers

By Tom Adams and Mark Phillips The Napa County Public Works Department is in the process of preparing amendments to the Subdivision and Zoning Ordinance as it relates to lot line adjustments and certificates of compliance. The changes originally proposed by staff were minor and did not warrant comments. However, during the “stakeholder” review of […]

Napa County Winery Audits: What are the odds?

Each year Napa County sends out notices to 20 wineries that they have been selected to be subject to the annual winery audit for compliance with their individual use permits.  The County sent out its most recent notice on January 17, 2014 asking for information about annual production, visitation and custom crush activities.  The letter requests that […]

St. Helena City Council Rescinds Amendments to Small Winery Ordinance

St. Helena’s City Council unanimously voted to approve an emergency ordinance repealing recently passed amendments to the Small Winery Ordinance. We wrote about this matter earlier in the week. Tuesday’s vote prevents the amendments from being put on the November ballot as a referendum item, and effectively reopens debate regarding the proposed amendments.   A […]

St. Helena City Council Will Consider Rescinding Amendments to Small Winery Ordinance

St. Helena’s City Council will hold a hearing on Tuesday, February 11 to consider repealing amendments to the Small Winery Ordinance approved just a few weeks ago after a months-long process. From May – August 2013, the St. Helena Planning Commission held four hearings to consider amending provisions of the St. Helena Municipal Code that […]

Aggressive State Stream Diversion Enforcement Comes to Napa River Watershed

A number of property owners in Napa County, including wineries, recently have received a form letter from the State Water Resources Control Board entitled, “NOTICE OF POTENTIAL UNAUTHORIZED DIVERSION AND USE OF WATER, AND FAILURE TO FILE A STATEMENT OF WATER DIVERSION AND USE FOR DIVERSION OF WATER IN NAPA COUNTY.” The letter states that the […]

California ABC Announces On-Sale Liquor Licenses for Napa County

The California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) announced authorization for the issuance of five (5) original on-sale general liquor licenses for bona fide public eating places in Napa County, as authorized in Section 23826.10 of the Business & Professions Code. These licenses are to be issued only to premises having a seating capacity for […]

Fight Continues Over Lot-Line Adjustments in Napa County

The Sierra Club and a Napa resident have filed separate appeals of two Napa County Superior Court rulings that upheld Napa County’s policy on allowing “successive” lot-line adjustments involving four or fewer parcels. The County’s policy on lot-line adjustments first came under assault in connection with long-time grape grower and vintner, Will Nord, whose company, […]

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