August 2020

Welcome to the new El Dorado Water NEWStream!

A Water Perspective From Our General Manager, Ken Payne We are excited to share with you the inaugural issue of our new informational newsletter, the El Dorado Water NEWStream! We will use this newsletter to provide the community with regular updates on our current and upcoming projects and initiatives, as well as information about other important efforts and issues related to water resource planning in the region.   We hope you enjoy NEWStream! We welcome your feedback on other topics you hope to see covered, and invite you to follow us on social media for additional updates – you can find us on Facebook and Twitter @EDWaterAgency.   Please note: If you’d prefer not to receive future issues of NEWStream, please use the “unsubscribe” link found below.

El Dorado Water Agency Launches New Brand Our new name and logo better represent our modernized and integrated water resource planning approach for El Dorado County. The new brand represents the diverse landscape of our county, including much of our state’s headwaters that store our water supply as snowpack, as well as the El Dorado National Forest and rural agriculture. Features include elements that highlight our innovative water resource planning efforts to support the County’s General Plan vision for economic development, environmental protection, and quality of life for all residents. We have been a leader in county-wide and statewide water planning for more than 60 years. Our planning efforts have secured and adapted the region’s water supply, infrastructure, and management to support changing and evolving demand brought on by drought, climate change, agricultural needs, and other circumstances. The development of our new brand demonstrates our ongoing commitment to lead water planning efforts that provide efficient solutions for the entire county, in collaboration with the county, rural agriculture and urban communities, environmental interests and other stakeholders. As reinforced in our 2019 Water Resources Development and Management Plan, our forward-thinking approach continues to emphasize collaboration and coordinated implementation to ensure the reliability of El Dorado County’s water supply for the present and future.

Water Agency Provides Funding Support for El Dorado County’s Safety Plan Update At its July meeting, our Board of Directors voted to support El Dorado County and share in the costs toward the Safety Element Update of the El Dorado County General Plan. The Safety Element identifies potential geologic, seismic, and wildland fire hazards that could impact water storage and supply infrastructure within the county, as well as a climate vulnerability assessment. The plan will identify critical potable waterways and facilities that are subject to these impacts and will help meet our long-term preparation efforts for adaptation to climate variability, risk response assessment, and water supply reliability, and support the County Planning and Building Department's efforts to include these measures within the General Plan Safety Element Update.     "Ken and I served on a panel together and reviewed the applications we received to update the General Plan Safety Element. The Agency's participation supports our efforts to address long-term water supply and infrastructure vulnerability assessment and hazard and risk reduction measures." ~ Anne Novotny, Planning Manager (Long Range Planning), El Dorado County Planning and Building Department

South Tahoe Public Utility District and Water Agency Collaborating on Groundwater Sustainability Plan In accordance with the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), which requires sustainable management of local groundwater, we are working collaboratively with the South Tahoe Public Utility District (STPUD) to develop an updated Groundwater Management Plan (GMP) for the Tahoe Valley South (TVS) groundwater basin. The Agency and STPUD are each recognized Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSAs) by the California Department of Water Resources (DWR). Since both GSAs share the TVS groundwater basin, we have decided to continue to work together to develop and submit a single GMP. Following several years of technical review, DWR approved the joint GMP in 2019. Given the exceptional conditions of the TVS groundwater basin, the GMP is only one of nine special plans approved in all of California to fulfill the State’s SGMA requirements. In June and July 2020, both STPUD and the Agency affirmed their intent to continue this partnership and proceed with the next five-year update to the GMP – testimony to our region’s partnerships to proactively manage our valued resources for today and our sustainable future.    The collaboration with STPUD is a prime example of our renewed approach toward developing broad regional partnerships with local agencies that share management responsibilities and cooperate in creating mutual benefits, as outlined in our 2019 Water Resources Development and Management Plan. It is also consistent with Resource Management Strategy (RMS3) Actions pertaining to the implementation of sustainable groundwater management. By working together on water management activities, including the updated GMP, both agencies can ensure activity in the region achieves the common goal of groundwater sustainability for the whole TVS basin, mitigates the potential for duplicated efforts for cost efficiencies, and creates a strong basis for sharing information and data.   “We appreciate the collaborative relationship with the Water Agency on the sustainable management of groundwater resources in South Lake Tahoe.” ~ John Thiel, General Manager, South Tahoe Public Utility District

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