Memorandum
Date: June 5, 2026
To: The Honorable Lake County Board of Supervisors, serving as the Directors of the Lake County Watershed Protection District
From: Dr. Pawan Upadhyay, Director, and Todd Abbott, Program Coordinator, Water Resources Department
Subject: Consent Agenda Item for June 23, 2026
Approve the award of the “Big Valley Groundwater Basin Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP) 2027 Periodic Evaluation Report” project to Luhdorff & Scalmanini, Consulting Engineers, in the amounts of $139,820.00 and authorize the Water Resources Director to sign and execute the contracts between the Lake County Watershed Protection District and Luhdorff & Scalmanini, Consulting Engineers.
Executive Summary:
The Lake County Water Resources Department requests that the Board of Supervisors, acting as the Directors of the Lake County Watershed Protection District (District), approve the award to Luhdorff & Scalmanini, Consulting Engineers, for the “Big Valley Groundwater Basin Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP) 2027 Periodic Evaluation Report” project in the amounts of $139,820.00 The agreement covers the necessary components for submission to the California Department of Water Resources (CADWR).
The State Groundwater Management Act, or SGMA, was passed by the CA State Legislature in 2014 to establish a regulatory framework for groundwater across the state. In 2015, The California Department of Water Resources released an initial basin prioritization list that identified groundwater basins in California considered at risk of overdraft and classified those basins as either medium or high priority, depending on variables such as groundwater reserves, recharge rates, and population growth. Big Valley Basin was identified as a medium priority basin by DWR, making it subject to the requirements set forth by SGMA, including the local development of a Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA), and the formation of a Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP), with the goal of achieving basin sustainability by 2042.
In August of 2019, in compliance with SGMA, the Lake County Board of Supervisors formed the Big Valley Groundwater Sustainability Agency (BVGSA) to begin development of the Groundwater Sustainability Plan for Big Valley. In April 2021,The BVGSA GSP Advisory Committee (GSPAC) was initially formed to advise the Lake County Board of Supervisors on the development of the Big Valley Basin GSP. After submitting the GSP to the California Department of Water Resources in January 2022, per SGMA requirements, the GSPAC was rechartered for the implementation of the Big Valley Basin GSP, and the focus of the group has since been on management actions designed to bring the basin into sustainability.
In 2021, The Lake County Water Resources Department received a grant from CADWR for $1.3M to implement SGMA, and to support the work of GSPAC. This grant provided crucial resources for the formation of the Big Valley GSA, the development of the initial Groundwater Sustainability Plan report in 2022, and for consulting, meetings, and other GSPAC expenses. Since 2022, Lake County Water Resources has produced annual groundwater reports in compliance with SGMA.
Along with the annual reports, Lake County is required to provide a periodic review of groundwater conditions within Big Valley Basin every 5 years, which is due in February 2027. This Periodic Evaluation is used to determine groundwater changes across the basin over time, and to analyze the success of projects and management decisions designed to increase groundwater storage, with the ultimate goal of bringing the Big Valley Basin into full compliance with SGMA by 2042. Luhdorff & Scalmanini, Consulting Engineers, has been a trusted partner in producing annual reports for the Big Valley GSP for Lake County, and they will now build on those efforts to develop a Periodic Evaluation targeted to address the specific sustainability considerations of DWR as they relate to the Big Valley Groundwater Basin.
If not budgeted, fill in the blanks below only:
Estimated Cost: ________ Amount Budgeted: __ Additional Requested: ________ Future Annual Cost: ________
Consistency with Vision 2028 and/or Fiscal Crisis Management Plan (check all that apply): ☐ Not applicable
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☐ Economic Development ☐ Disaster Recovery ☐ County Workforce ☐ Revenue Generation
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If request for exemption from competitive bid in accordance with County Code Chapter 2 Sec. 2-38, fill in blanks below:
Which exemption is being requested? NA
How long has Agreement been in place?
When was purchase last rebid?
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Recommended Action: Approve the award of the “Big Valley Groundwater Basin Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP) 2027 Periodic Evaluation Report” project to Luhdorff & Scalmanini, Consulting Engineers, in the amounts of $139,820.00 and authorize the Water Resources Director to sign and execute the contracts between the Lake County Watershed Protection District and Luhdorff & Scalmanini, Consulting Engineers.