Informing and Engaging Stakeholders in the Kings and Tulare Lake Subbasins
July 2020 - In This Issue
KINGS SUBBASIN UPDATES
TULARE LAKE SUBBASIN UPDATES
OTHER NEWS AND EVENTS
RESOURCES
KINGS SUBBASIN UPDATES
Kings Subbasin continues to adjust to COVID-19 pandemic, GSAs offer virtual public meetings
The Kings Subbasin is home to seven Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSAs) continuing to push forward on implementing their Groundwater Sustainability Plans (GSPs) despite the difficulties presented amid the COVID-19 pandemic. With most all GSAs in the subbasin adapting to provide remote accessible meetings, board members, staff, and stakeholders are laying a strong foundation for the future of groundwater management in the area.

In this issue

MAGSA joined Twitter! See what they're up to @McMullinAreaGSA
A team of skilled individuals from organizations across disciplines has been assembled by MAGSA's water market study project lead Amer Hussain with Geosyntec.

The dynamic team will work over the coming months to outline the fundamental components for establishing a groundwater market within MAGSA, identify a range of options for a market structure that is right for MAGSA, and analyze opportunities and constraints for surface water use within a yet to be determined groundwater only or surface-groundwater combined market.

Click read more below to learn about the team members!

MAGSA is moving swiftly to adopt board policies , establishing a foundation for how groundwater will be managed in the years to come. The fastest way to engage in this process is via MAGSA's email updates ( sign up here ).

These policies will operate as rules and guidelines impacting stakeholders, and ultimately ensure MAGSA can effectively and sustainably manage groundwater within the area it serves. Stakeholders will be notified and invited to comment on draft board policies via "Stakeholder Alert" emails.
Click image to enlarge


For more information go to mcmullinarea.org .
North Kings GSA joined Twitter! See what they're up to @NorthKingsGSA
Six wells will be videoed for construction information, critical for groundwater monitoring
The North Kings GSA technical consultant, Provost & Pritchard , will video 6 wells in the service area in an effort to gather well construction information.

SGMA relies on measuring sustainability progress over time, requiring a network of wells to draw periodic measurements on groundwater levels and quality. It is required that wells included in this network are matched with a construction report. In the case where a well has no report or the report has little information, a video of the well works to collect the information needed, including what aquifers the well is screened in, its depth, and hydrogeologic information.

For more information go to northkingsgsa.org .
The Board approved an assessment of $10 per acre for Fiscal Year 2020-21 at their June 24 meeting. Based on 163,653.7 assessable acres, this generates $1,636,537 of projected revenue. The approved assessment is the maximum amount approved by North Fork Kings GSA landowners in the Proposition 218 assessment election passed in 2018.

The North Fork Kings GSA has also included expected grant revenues of $200,000 in its recently approved Fiscal Year 2020-21 budget for a total expected revenue of approximately $1.8 million.

Administrative and professional services included in the budget are critical to lay a foundation for implementing the Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP), submitted to the State in January 2020.


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

The South Fork Kings GSA along with their technical consultant, Geosyntec and Kings River Conservation District , successfully obtained a $200,000 grant to support groundwater sustainability activities. Located in a region with variable water supply and susceptible to drought, the California Resilience Challenge grant awarded by the Bay Area Council Foundation will support SFKGSA's groundwater sustainability by funding an Aquifer Storage and Recovery pilot program and a crucial data collection effort.

Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) is an innovative groundwater management method used in many parts of the United States to inject water for underground storage to be withdrawn later when surface water is limited, especially during periods of drought.

In addition to the ASR pilot program, landowner and community resident outreach will be conducted to obtain data on groundwater use and perceptions of long-term water supply reliability. To kick off work on the grant, a survey will be sent to all landowners and community residents in the coming months. The survey will assist in filling in crucial information for a more accurate picture of groundwater use.

The Board approved an assessment of $8.71 per acre for Fiscal Year 2021 at their June 18th meeting. Based on assessable acreage of 71,277.6 acres, this generates a projected revenue of $620,828 for agency administration and professional services to implement the Groundwater Sustainability Plan. The approved assessment is a decrease from the $9.80 per acre assessment collected in the previous fiscal year, which was the maximum amount approved by South Fork Kings GSA landowners in the Prop 218 assessment election passed in 2018.

Especially critical is beginning the process of implementing the tasks and projects outlined in the Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP) adopted earlier this year in January. Professional services to be carried out by the South Fork Kings GSA's technical consultant, Geosyntec , include work on a groundwater accounting program, a groundwater monitoring program and associated data management system, coordination with surrounding basins, and the initiation of an Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) pilot project, among others.

For more information go to southforkkings.org .
Southwest Kings hires Geosyntec for technical consulting services, merges agency administration with Tri-County Water Authority
At the June 17th Board Meeting, the Southwest Kings GSA Board approved a Professional Services Agreement with Geosyntec Consultants for project management and groundwater monitoring program services. Geosyntec will move forward as the lead consultant to oversee, manage, and coordinate a number of items including meetings and communications, project coordination to achieve technical objectives, and coordination with surrounding GSAs, among others. Geosyntec will also review the proposed groundwater monitoring program presented in the Tulare Lake Subbasin Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP) and conduct summer and fall 2020 groundwater monitoring, collecting data to coordinate with the April 2021 Subbasin Annual Report to the CA Department of Water Resources .

The Board also approved a Cooperation and Administrative Services Agreement with the Tri-County Water Authority . The agreement between the agencies includes shared administration for efficient implementation of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA). The Southwest Kings GSA will pay for services carried out by the Tri-County Water Authority on their behalf including all administrative responsibilities, staff assistance, and use of office space and equipment.

For more information go to swkgsa.org .
Meter policy will be considered at September Board Meeting; working draft revised to address privacy concerns
A Meter Policy working draft was presented to the Board at their July 2 meeting. A final draft is expected to go before the Board for approval in September. The policy requires all owners of non-domestic wells to install and maintain a water meter, and outlines requirements for meter specifications, sizing, installation, maintenance, calibration, and certification.

A previous draft of the policy worked its way through legal counsel and stakeholder input, and was revised to address data privacy concerns including the addition of a data confidentiality statement. The revised draft indicates raw data will remain confidential for use by TCWA, and only aggregate values of raw data will be made publicly available. Another concern brought forth on the policy is the seemingly duplicate work created with data gathering efforts already undertaken by Land IQ , the TCWA's consultant using satellite and airborne remote sensing to collect groundwater data. While both a metering policy and Land IQ efforts achieve similar ends, the agency stated using two methods for data sources will ensure the highest accuracy.

For more information go to tcwater.org .
Board adopts $4 per acre assessment for Fiscal Year 2020-21
At their July 2 Board Meeting, the Tri-County Water Authority board adopted a special fee rate of $4 per acre to be levied on landowners with parcels of 5 acres or larger. This is the maximum amount approved for 2020-21 by landowners in the agency's Proposition 218 assessment election in 2018. The fee revenues fall short of the TCWA's fiscal year budget, but the deficit will be met by revenues from the groundwater pumping fees collected by the agency.

The assessment will be collected by Tulare and Kings counties via county tax rolls.
Enforcement Policy and Resolution will ensure compliance with TCWA policies
The Tri-County Water Authority discussed a draft Enforcement Policy and Resolution at their July 2 Board Meeting. The policy and procedure will aid the TCWA in the enforcement of its monitoring and management actions included in its Groundwater Sustainability Plan. The policy outlines penalties for those who violate any policy or procedure of the TCWA to implement its GSP, such as failure to pay mandated groundwater extraction fees. The Board will consider the item at their September Board Meeting.
OTHER NEWS AND EVENTS
McMullin Area GSA (MAGSA) - Online Water Marketing Strategy Technical Workshop
MAGSA has received a grant to design a strategy for a potential water market in the McMullin Area, and is kicking off that process with an online educational workshop for anyone who is interested. You'll have an opportunity to learn from MAGSA's General Manager and technical consulting team, who will be outlining the fundamental components for establishing a groundwater market within MAGSA, share how other areas are approaching water markets, and identify a range of options for a market structure that is right for MAGSA. There will be a time allotted for Q&A and comments.
Online Workshop
Wednesday, July 29
4:00 - 6:00 PM
Via Zoom.
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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