Informing and Engaging Stakeholders in the Kings and Tulare Lake Subbasins
May 2020 - In This Issue
KINGS SUBBASIN UPDATES
TULARE LAKE SUBBASIN UPDATES
OTHER NEWS AND EVENTS
RESOURCES
KINGS SUBBASIN UPDATES
Groundwater conditions improve overall in the Kings Subbasin in water year 2019, Annual Report submitted to the State shows the data
The Kings Subbasin submitted the first Annual Report to the CA Department of Water Resources (DWR) by the initial April 1, 2020 deadline. Thanks to favorable hydrology for the reporting period, Kings Subbasin groundwater conditions improved overall with groundwater storage increasing by 210,000 acre-feet Subbasin wide. The Annual Report informs the State and stakeholders on groundwater conditions in the Subbasin and focuses on water year 2019 (Sept 2018 - Oct 2019), a hydrologic "wet year" seeing 134% of average diversions on the Kings River, the majority of surface water supply to the region.
Kings Subbasin awarded $500,000 grant from CA Department of Water Resources Sustainable Groundwater Management Grant Program
The subbasin received its full grant funding request of $500,000 from the CA Department of Water Resources (DWR) Sustainable Groundwater Management (SGM) Grant Program. The Kings Subbasin was among 53 applicants statewide to receive funding to support Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP) development and implementation. Grant funds will be shared by the seven Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSAs) within the Kings Subbasin. The North Fork Kings GSA is the awardee on behalf of the seven GSAs.

Grant funding list here .
Managers from six Kings Subbasin Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSAs) gathered in Easton the evening of February 24th for a panel discussion, encouraging their stakeholders to stay engaged as they move forward to achieve sustainable groundwater levels in the region.

Panelists included Ronnie Samuelian,   Provost & Pritchard Consulting Group ; Josh Rogers,   South Kings GSA ; Steve Stadler,  James GSA ; Kassy Chauhan,  North Kings GSA ; Chad Wegley,   Kings River East GSA ; Matt Hurley,   McMullin Area GSA ; Mark McKean,   North Fork Kings GSA .

Community residents and growers were encouraged to know what GSA they are in, sign up to receive their GSA's email updates, and be knowledgeable about how their own groundwater conditions measure up next to the GSA's sustainability goals. For important takeaways from the Groundwater Sustainability Plans, it was recommended readers head to the Executive Summary before delving deeper into sections of the plan that pique their interest.

The GSAs stated priorities for the next 1-2 years are continued coordination to efficiently use every drop of water, increased groundwater data gathering, and "low hanging fruit" projects like expanding existing recharge basins and partnerships with irrigation districts to increase floodwater utilization.


In this issue

MAGSA joined Twitter! See what they're up to @McMullinAreaGSA
Meeting the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) deadline for sustainable groundwater levels by 2040 is going to require creative solutions in many areas of California. Thanks to grant funding, MAGSA has hired engineering firm Geosyntec to conduct a study on one forward-thinking solution: a groundwater credit and surface water marketing program.

At the March 12, 2020 Board Meeting, the Board approved awarding Geosyntec a contract to study the concepts. "We commend the McMullin Area GSA Board for getting ahead of the curve on studying water markets and groundwater credits, and look forward to working with stakeholders, staff and the Board on solutions that best fit the needs of landowners in the area," stated Amer Hussein, the lead Geosnytec engineer on the study.

Thanks to favorable hydrology in water year 2019, Kings Subbasin groundwater conditions improved overall with groundwater storage increasing 210,000 acre-feet Subbasin wide. Combined surface water and groundwater use in the Kings Subbasin across sectors including agriculture, urban, and manged recharge, totaled 2.7 million acre-feet for the period.

The report indicates groundwater extractions in MAGSA represent and estimated 30% of total 1.06 million acre-feet extractions Subbasin-wide. The MAGSA service area relies on groundwater to fully meet its water demands, and in the coming months and years plans to pursue any additional available surface water to bring into the agency to offset groundwater use. This strategy paired with water use efficiency, conservation measures, and demand reduction will over the long run positively impact the Kings Subbasin sustainability effort.

North Kings GSA joined Twitter! See what they're up to @NorthKingsGSA
The North Kings Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA) Board unanimously moved to adopt a workgroup policy, beginning a new model for how the agency plans to work through implementing its Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP). The transition to a workgroup model continues a collaborative path to consider sustainability programs and projects with direct participation from the public, member agency representatives, and other stakeholders.

For the duration of the GSP development, ad-hoc committees' efforts supported accomplishing diverse goals, from communication and engagement to technical and fiscal. With their purpose completed, the ad-hoc committees were dissolved by decision of the Board on February 27, 2020. Moving forward, workgroups will be formed as needed as the North Kings GSA's Executive Officer, Kassy Chauhan, identifies tasks that progress the agency forward to sustainable groundwater management.

First Annual Report submitted to the State, North Kings GSA member agencies import substantial surface water supplies lessening groundwater reliance
The North Kings Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA) together with the six other GSAs in the Kings Subbasin submitted the first Annual Report to the CA Department of Water Resources (DWR) by the initial April 1, 2020 deadline. The North Kings GSA member agencies including Fresno Irrigation District, Garfield Water District, and the City of Fresno imported 34% of the Subbasin's total 1.64 million acre-feet of surface water supplies. Groundwater extractions supplying urban and agricultural needs within the North Kings GSA account for 19% of the Subbasin's extracted 1.06 million acre-feet.

Surface water supplies imported into the North Kings GSA reduce groundwater reliance and ultimately provide a net benefit to the Subbasin's sustainability efforts. Wet years like the 2019 water year with 134% of average diversions on the Kings River provide opportunities to increase groundwater volume, as surface water is often used in lieu of groundwater pumping, and surface supplies are put to use through groundwater recharge practices.

The Annual Report submitted to the State by the initial April 1, 2020 deadline focuses on water year 2019 (Sept 2018 - Oct 2019), a hydrologic "wet year" seeing 134% of average diversions on the Kings River, the majority of surface supply to the region. Thanks to favorable hydrology for the reporting period, Kings Subbasin groundwater conditions improved overall with storage increasing by 210,000 acre-feet Subbasin wide.

The report indicates groundwater extractions in the North Fork Kings GSA represent an estimated 17% of total 1.06 million acre-feet extractions in the Subbasin. Irrigation Districts and landowners alike took every opportunity to capitalize on available surplus surface water supplies, capturing Kings River water during flood releases to recharge in basins or use on farms, offsetting groundwater use.

TULARE LAKE SUBBASIN UPDATES
Tulare Lake Subbasin awarded $500,000 CA Department of Water Resources grant to recover GSP development costs and fund future monitoring efforts
The Tulare Lake Subbasin received its full grant funding request of $500,000 from the CA Department of Water Resources (DWR) . The Tulare Lake Subbasin was among 53 applicants statewide to receive funding to support Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP) development and implementation.

The Subbasin plans to use $350,000 of the funds to recover a portion of the GSAs' contributions to finalize the development of the GSP, the roadmap to balance groundwater supplies. The remaining $150,000 will be divided among the GSAs to fund GSP implementation activities.

Approximately $47 million total grant funds were awarded across the State. Proposition 68, passed in 2018, provides a significant $46.25 million of awarded funds. The additional $1.6 million is provided through Proposition 1, passed in 2014, conditional upon future reappropriation of grant funds in Fiscal Year 2021/22. The Tulare Lake Subbasin received $450,000 from Prop 68 funds and the remaining $50,000 from Prop 1 funds.

Grant funding list here .

In this issue

  • South Fork Kings GSA - Board meetings have gone virtual - how to join via Zoom
  • Southwest Kings - Meter policy adopted following April 8 Public Hearing
  • Tri-County Water Authority - Groundwater pumping fee of $10 per acre foot adopted, late fee considered for delinquent accounts
The South Fork Kings GSA held its April board meeting via Zoom, sharing guidelines on how to download and use Zoom to join meetings. The agency has not announced whether its May meeting will be virtual, but it is likely to due to updated shelter-in-place orders.

Whether you're joining in on the South Fork Kings GSA, or another Zoom meeting, check out their guides here .
For more information go to southforkkings.org .
Meter policy adopted following April 8 Public Hearing
The Southwest Kings GSA Board unanimously voted to adopt a meter policy immediately following a Public Hearing held during its regular Board Meeting on April 8, 2020. The GSA did not receive any comments during the Public Hearing. The Southwest Kings GSA is the first GSA in the Tulare Lake Subbasin to adopt a meter policy to assure accurate recording of groundwater pumping occurring within its service area.

The meter policy requires all wells with greater than 0.16 cubic feet per second (cfs) capacity, or wells that pump greater than 2 acre-feet per year, to have water meters installed and maintained. Landowners with existing wells that meet the parameters must notify and provide detailed information to the Southwest Kings GSA no later than July 1, 2020. Landowners installing new wells are required to provide the information outlined in the policy within 30 days of installation.

Landowners are responsible for the cost of meter installation and maintenance, and will self-report readings to the Southwest Kings GSA quarterly in January, April, July, and October.

The draft version of the meter policy can be found on the Southwest Kings GSA website here .

For more information go to swkgsa.org .
Groundwater pumping fee of $10 per acre foot adopted, late fee considered for delinquent accounts
A groundwater pumping fee to levy $10 per acre foot extracted was adopted by resolution on March 5, 2020 by the Tri-County Water Authority Board of Directors. The fee, collected semi-annually, applies to extractions amounting to greater than 2 acre-feet per year.

The Tri-County Water Authority discussed at its April 30, 2020 meeting setting a rate of 1% per month late fee on delinquent accounts, with a 10% penalty for failure to pay the assessment within 30 days. The Board tabled the action to set a Public Hearing to adopt late fees, and plans to go back to its stakeholders for additional discussion.

Because the agency does not yet have a policy requiring meters, the extraction fees have been calculated using crop information and irrigation efficiencies. The agency is currently working through the logistics and parameters of a well metering policy, and expects to begin calculating and invoicing groundwater extractions using water meters beginning 2021 in addition to consumptive use data.
Metering and Groundwater Allocation Policy discussions move forward
A metering and groundwater allocation policy are under development for Tri-County Water Authority, although questions remain on the logistics and structure of both policies.

To develop a meter policy, the Board must determine varied parameters from meter calibration requirements to data management and reporting. The agency's technical consultant, Amer Hussein with Geoysntec , expects to bring forward a draft policy addressing the logistics at the July 2, 2020 Board Meeting for feedback.

A groundwater allocation policy is likely further from adoption than a meter policy, but discussions are moving forward on methodologies to determine an allocation structure. The goal of an allocation policy is to help reduce an estimated 75% of current groundwater pumping to reach sustainability. Allocating groundwater involves a complex determination of how much water exists within the service area, both physically and from a water rights claim perspective. Further considerations include variable water supplies and possible carry-over allocations from one year to the next. The groundwater allocation system may be flexible, efficiently determining a sustainable yield aligned with annual variability in water supply. This would mean the allocations may vary from one year to the next. Discussions on the structure and definitions of the policy are ongoing.

For more information go to tcwater.org .
OTHER NEWS AND EVENTS
Extended CA Department of Water Resources GSP Public Comment Period Ending Soon
Groundwater Sustainability Plans (GSPs) from California's critically overdrafted subbasins were due to the CA Department of Water Resources (DWR) January 31, 2020. Public comments on the first set of GSPs are due May 25, 2020. The next comment period closes June 3, 2020.

The Department of Water Resources (DWR) extended public comment periods by 30 days due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

GSPs are available online on the DWR SGMA Portal . Information about how to comment on a plan can be found on fact sheets provided by DWR in English and Spanish .

For questions or more information, email sgmps@water.ca.gov .
Draft report on Drought and Water Shortage Vulnerability Released

The report provides information for GSAs to consider and incorporate into future updates to Groundwater Sustainability Plans, and can serve to inform management decisions as GSPs are implemented.

Public comment on the report ends June 19, 2020. DWR plans to schedule two webinars to discuss the report recommendations and a Water Shortage Risk tool.

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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