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 data gaps in evaluating the depletion of interconnected surface waters and groundwater dependent ecosystems, and proposed the preparation of a workplan to address such data gaps. These three plans have now been prepared by Napa County’s Groundwater Sustainability Agency and are available for public review and comment. All public comments on these three plans are due by January 30, 2024.

General information on the scope of the three workplans is below:

  • Groundwater Pumping Reduction Workplan:
    • This plan identifies a goal to achieve a 10 percent reduction (about 15,000 acre feet) in pumping relative to the average annual historical pumping (as measured in the years 2005-2014).
    • This plan also presents voluntary programs that will purportedly result in Subbasin sustainability benefits, and in addition, presents mandatory measures to reduce groundwater pumping (which could be implemented if the voluntary measures are insufficient).
  • Water Conservation Workplan:
    • This plan is a resource for stakeholders to learn about, consider, and adopt new or additional water conservation measures.
  • Interconnected Surface Water and Groundwater Dependent Ecosystems Workplan:
    • This plan addresses the data gaps that were identified in the originally adopted GSP and provides a structured approach to evaluating the effect of groundwater conditions on interconnected surface waters and groundwater-dependent ecosystems.

Public comments on these plans can be submitted using the Excel Comment Form on the County’s website (link below), submitted via email to: [email protected].

For more information, visit the County’s website here: https://www.countyofnapa.org/3219/County-of-Napa-Plans-Reports-Documents.

For more information about Napa County Groundwater Sustainability planning, email Joshua S. Devore, Thomas S. Adams or Elena Neigher.

Groundwater Legislation Not Sinking

As California’s severe drought deepens legislation moves upstream in Sacramento regarding groundwater.  Historically the State of California has not had jurisdiction over groundwater, but with serious groundwater depletion issues in most of the key agricultural regions exacerbated by this historic drought, the current is now sweeping us all toward State oversight of this precious resource.  Senate Bill 1168 and similar Assembly Bill 1739 are both out of committee now and headed after recess to the floor of the legislature in the near future.  Both bills focus on local or regional groundwater monitoring and regulation, which will require greater groundwater use reporting by pumpers.  Regardless of the politics of groundwater regulation, here is a link to some thought provoking reports on California’s groundwater situation. We’ll keep you apprised of the legislature’s consideration of these Bills and how what is ultimately passed may affect Wine Country’s vineyards.

Groundwater Legislation Not Sinking

As California’s severe drought deepens legislation moves upstream in Sacramento regarding groundwater.  Historically the State of California has not had jurisdiction over groundwater, but with serious groundwater depletion issues in most of the key agricultural regions exacerbated by this historic drought, the current is now sweeping us all toward State oversight of this precious resource.  Senate Bill 1168 and similar Assembly Bill 1739 are both out of committee now and headed after recess to the floor of the legislature in the near future.  Both bills focus on local or regional groundwater monitoring and regulation, which will require greater groundwater use reporting by pumpers.  Regardless of the politics of groundwater regulation, here is a link to some thought provoking reports on California’s groundwater situation.  We’ll keep you apprised of the legislature’s consideration of these Bills and how what is ultimately passed may affect Wine Country’s vineyards.