Informing and Engaging Stakeholders in the Kings and Tulare Lake Subbasins
September 2020 - In This Issue
KINGS SUBBASIN UPDATES
TULARE LAKE SUBBASIN UPDATES
OTHER NEWS AND EVENTS
RESOURCES
We've updated our GSA interactive map! Click to find the most up-to-date website and contact information for GSA's in the Kings and Tulare Lake Subbasins.
KINGS SUBBASIN UPDATES
In this issue

  • MAGSA - Groundwater Data Policy adopted at September meeting
  • North Kings GSA - Workgroup will develop two board policies
  • North Fork Kings GSA - DWR will fund and install new monitoring well to support groundwater data collection
  • Kings River East GSA - Efforts to collect well construction information will begin
MAGSA joined Twitter! See what they're up to @McMullinAreaGSA
Groundwater Data Policy adopted at September meeting
After a period of public review, the MAGSA Board adopted a Groundwater Data policy at its September 2nd meeting. The policy outlines methodologies for MAGSA to receive data from landowners and respond to data requests that ensure the confidentiality is maintained. It is the intent of MAGSA to protect landowner data to the maximum extent possible, unless otherwise released with permission from individual landowners. Visit MAGSA's Board Policy webpage to view the final policy here.
Stakeholders encouraged to review and comment on draft Groundwater Export and Water Banking Policies
Two new draft policies were released for public and Committee review at the September 2nd Board Meeting. The Groundwater Export and Water Banking policies are open for comment until September 30th. Their proposed adoption date is October 7th.

The draft Groundwater Export Policy clarifies and expands on the groundwater pumping restriction management action referenced in MAGSA's Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP), including pumping of groundwater from within MAGSA for any use outside of MAGSA. The policy also informs the establishment of an implementation method for MAGSA to more effectively and equitably oversee, manage, and reasonably regulate groundwater extraction within its boundaries.

The draft Water Banking Policy establishes general guidelines and principles for MAGSA on water banking within its service area.

To view the draft policies, visit MAGSA's Board Policy webpage here.
The Board approved a fee of $19 per acre for Fiscal Year 2020-21 at their July 15th meeting. Based on 114,475 acres included under the property-related fee, this generates a projected revenue of $2,175,025 for agency administration, professional services, and project and program development to implement the Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP), adopted in November 2019. Beyond fee revenues, MAGSA will continue applying for grant funding to accelerate implementation of specific projects and management actions outlined in its GSP.

Recent grant awards like the US Bureau of Reclamation's WaterSMART grant to study a water market, in addition to future grant opportunities, aim to leverage and extend the dollars of MAGSA landowners collected via the fee.

For more information go to mcmullinarea.org.
North Kings GSA joined Twitter! See what they're up to @NorthKingsGSA
A workgroup is being formed to develop two new board policies for groundwater management in the North Kings GSA. The two policies will directly impact sustainability efforts by enabling the North Kings GSA to track progress at milestones on the road to sustainability by 2040 and widen its involvement in Fresno County's well drilling permit process within the service area.

The policy development will take place under the direction of the North Kings GSA's first workgroup. The collaborative workgroup model, adopted as a Workgroup Policy at the North Kings GSA's April Board Meeting, invites direct participation from the public, member agency representatives, and other stakeholders to work on implementing the Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP).

The North Kings GSA continues to refine its network of wells for monitoring groundwater levels and quality. Work on the network includes gathering well construction information, obtaining access agreements with well owners, and cleaning up the network to remove inoperable wells.

For wells without construction reports the North Kings GSA is working with its technical consultant, Provost & Pritchard, to video wells using small-diameter video inspection equipment.

Small diameter video well inspection
For more information go to northkingsgsa.org.
A new monitoring well will be funded and installed by the CA Department of Water Resources (DWR) under their SGMA Technical Support Services program. The well will include four completion depths that allow data collection at varying levels of groundwater depth between clay layers.

The addition of a dedicated monitoring well from DWR will help achieve more data collection to fill data gaps. The North Fork Kings GSA will continue to expand its network to adequately assess sustainability progress within the service area.
The North Fork Kings GSA Board is requesting applications from its stakeholders who would like to serve on the Rural Community Advisory Committee (RCAC). The purpose of the RCAC is to represent the interests of rural communities. The RCAC assists the Board by providing input, information, and recommendations regarding the sustainable management of groundwater in the North Fork Kings GSA area.


For more information go to northforkkings.org.
Efforts to collect well construction information will begin
Efforts to collect well construction information will be conducted by the Kings River East GSA's technical consultant, Provost & Pritchard. Costs to collect the information will largely be covered by the Kings River East GSA's roughly $70,000 portion of a CA Department of Water Resources SGMA grant received by the Kings Subbasin. The goals are to identify wells for water level monitoring and to gather information on wells included in the water quality monitoring network.

For more information go to kingsrivereast.org.
TULARE LAKE SUBBASIN UPDATES
In this issue

  • Southwest Kings GSA - Southwest Kings GSA approves $2.00 per acre assessment for the 2020-21 fiscal year
  • Tri-County Water Authority - Meter policy requiring all non-domestic well owners install and maintain a meter passes at September meeting
Southwest Kings GSA approves $2.00 per acre assessment
The Southwest Kings GSA approved a $2.00 per acre assessment for the 2020-21 fiscal year at their July 28th meeting. The assessment will be collected via Kings and Tulare County tax rolls on lands greater than 10 acres within the Southwest Kings GSA service area. The Proposition 218 election to authorize the collection of land-based assessments passed in August 2017 with a maximum rate of $5.00 per acre. Previous rates were set at $5.00 per acre for 2017-18, $3.00 per acre for 2018-19, and $1.50 for 2019-20.

For more information go to swkgsa.org.
Contract with California Strategies and Advocacy approved for strategic consulting
A contract approving work with California Strategies and Advocacy was approved by the Southwest Kings GSA at their July 28th meeting. Work in the contract includes strategy development to efficiently carry out the Groundwater Sustainability Plan and GSA objectives, facilitation with the CA Department of Water Resources, legislative and regulatory monitoring, engagement with State and elected officials, among others for a fixed $12,000 per month fee. The Southwest Kings GSA is partnering in the contract with Tri County Water Authority, who will cover 70% of the contract costs while the Southwest Kings GSA will cover a 30% share.

For more information go to swkgsa.org.
Meter policy requiring all non-domestic well owners to install and maintain a meter passes at September meeting
The Meter Policy and Procedures was adopted at the Tri County Water Authority (TCWA) September 3rd Board Meeting, requiring all owners of non-domestic wells to install and maintain a water meter. The policy outlines requirements for meter specifications, sizing, installation, maintenance, calibration, certification, and reporting to the TCWA.

For existing wells, owners are required to report to the TCWA no later than November 30, 2020 the APN number and longitude/latitude location, State Well ID, and total depth and screen intervals. Owners also must report brand, model, number, size, and serial number of the meter installed on the well. For any new wells, owners must report the information within 30 days of pump installation.

Meter recording and reporting must be provided to the TCWA by well owners each April and October.

The agency will combine groundwater data collected from meters and LandIQ, the TCWA's consultant using satellite and airborne remote sensing, to ensure the highest accuracy on groundwater use.

For more details on the Meter Policy and Procedure requirements, view the document here.

For more information go to tcwater.org.
OTHER NEWS AND EVENTS
Kings River region GSAs join cooperative effort to monitor land subsidence
The Kings River Conservation District (KRCD) is leading a cooperative effort to efficiently monitor land subsidence in the Kings River region. A cost-sharing agreement aims to drive the collection of high quality and timely subsidence data required under the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) at a low cost to Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSAs).

Subsidence data collected by KRCD over the years was used in the development of many of the region's Groundwater Sustainability Plans (GSPs) and has been referenced by GSAs as a source of mandatory SGMA reporting to the State.

Established in 2010 with surveys conducted every 2-5 years at 125 monuments, the current monitoring effort is too infrequent to meet SGMA's needs for reporting on subsidence conditions, and critical data gaps exist in the network. The agreement will allow KRCD the flexibility to increase the frequency of monitoring to annual surveys and to over time establish an additional 71 network monuments that fill known data gaps.

The agreement is an annual term and outlines cost sharing of 8% between eleven GSAs in the two Subbasins, while KRCD will contribute 12% of the overall cost. This year's total cost for monitoring is estimated not to exceed $30,000. The agreement to date has been approved by the Southwest Kings, Tri-County Water Authority, South Fork Kings, North Fork Kings, and North Kings GSAs.
GSAs Eligible to apply for Federal WaterSMART Water and Energy Efficient Grants
Applications for US Bureau of Reclamation WaterSMART Water and Energy Efficiency Grants for Fiscal Year 2021 are due September 17, 2020. GSAs are eligible to apply for the matching grant funds.
RESOURCES
For additional SGMA information, visit the links below:
Kings River Region SGMA Updates is produced by KRCD's External Affairs staff.
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