Workgroup Will Develop Two Board Policies |
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Members of the public, member agency representatives, and other stakeholders are encouraged to participate |
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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).
A Member Agency Reporting Policy will create a standard reporting process for North Kings GSA member agencies' progress on groundwater overdraft correction at milestones during GSP implementation. The member agencies have agreed to take responsibility for correcting their groundwater overdraft portion in the North Kings GSA by implementing their own projects and management actions, making standard reporting critical to tracking and achieving sustainability GSA-wide.
The workgroup will concurrently develop a New Well Policy to ensure the North Kings GSA has ample time to review well permit applications submitted to Fresno County. The policy will likely also provide opportunity for communication between the North Kings GSA and well drillers and owners about potential impacts they need to consider, including depth and location. While the North Kings GSA has already been coordinating with Fresno County on well permit application review, a formalized policy to widen the GSA's involvement is needed to ensure strategic well drilling in light of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA).
The North Kings GSA highly encourages stakeholder involvement in its workgroups, valuing input from a wide range of groundwater users impacted by the North Kings GSA activities implementing SGMA. Those interested in joining the first workgroup to develop the Member Agency Reporting and New Well Policies should contact North Kings GSA Executive Director, Kassy Chauhan, at northkingsgsa@gmail.com, or fill out the online comment form (and don't forget to check the box to ensure you receive our email updates!).
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North Kings GSA joins regional cost-sharing agreement to monitor land subsidence |
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At the August 27th Board Meeting, the North Kings GSA Board moved unanimously to approve a cost-sharing agreement between Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSAs) in the Kings and Tulare Lake Subbasins for subsidence monitoring. Joining the regional effort led by the Kings River Conservation District (KRCD), a regional special district with diverse water resources management roles, the North Kings GSA will receive high quality and timely subsidence data required under the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) at a low cost.
Subsidence data collected by KRCD over the years was used in the development of the North Kings GSA's Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP) and has been referenced by GSAs as a source for mandatory SGMA reporting to the State. This new regional agreement will give KRCD the flexibility to increase the frequency of monitoring as needed by SGMA and expand its network of survey sites to fill known data gaps.
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Although there is no evidence of significant subsidence impacts currently within the North Kings GSA, reporting subsidence data to the State is required to prove levels are not causing undesirable results, like structural damage to canals or roadways.
KRCD proposed the agreement to support the Subbasins' mandatory monitoring efforts, providing an efficient data gathering opportunity. 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 North Kings GSA is cooperating with KRCD and participating GSAs as a cost-effective solution to bring robust data to the table for successful SGMA implementation.
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Efforts continue to dial in the groundwater level and quality monitoring networks |
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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.
The monitoring network is a key component of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) implementation, serving as the benchmark for tracking progress toward sustainability goals.
Wells included in the monitoring network are spatially distributed throughout the North Kings GSA to provide adequate reporting throughout the service area covering over 300,000 acres.
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Small diameter video well inspection |
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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.
Access agreements with well owners allow the responsible agency to gather data at wells on a semi-annual basis, required for SGMA monitoring by the GSA.
Data gathered from the monitoring network is included in the Annual Report submitted every April to the State and will be used to inform the next update of Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP) in 2025.
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Stakeholders - there are many ways to stay engaged on groundwater management in the North Kings GSA! |
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The North Kings GSA continues its commitment to engage its stakeholders, adding new ways to communicate and follow our activities.
The way groundwater is managed is changing, and we want to ensure our stakeholders and the public are informed and have a say in the decisions made to implement sustainable solutions.
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If you have not already, sign up to receive timely updates in your email inbox: click here to sign up. We won't crowd your inbox, but we'll be sure you receive meeting notices and relevant updates on groundwater in the North Kings GSA area.
And for those on social media, we are active on Twitter and Facebook and would love to engage with our stakeholders online!
Learn more about who we are, and access resources and documents on our website here. We look forward to engaging and will continue to develop resources and information to reach our stakeholders, understanding robust public involvement will bring about the best sustainability outcomes in the North Kings GSA.
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North Kings Groundwater Sustainability Agency
C/O Fresno Irrigation District
2907 S Maple Avenue
Fresno, CA 93725
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