Memorandum
Date: September 26, 2023
To: The Honorable Lake County Board of Supervisors
From: Scott De Leon, Public Works Director
Subject: Discussion regarding the State’s Draft Emergency Information Order Regulations for the Clear Lake Watershed
Executive Summary:
On Tuesday, September 5th, the State Water Resources Control Board issued Draft Emergency Information Order Regulations together with a Notice of Opportunity for Public Comment and Staff Workshop. These proposed regulations are in response to the Governor’s Executive Order N-5-23, and specifically paragraph #9. Each of these documents are attached for your information.
These regulations, if enacted, give the State the authority to require every water right holder or “water user” in the Clear Lake Watershed to submit reports of water usage. The information they could collect includes: groundwater well location and depth, extraction rates or volumes, timing and frequency of extractions, beneficial uses, and any other information that the State deems relevant to their hitch protection efforts. As written, these regulations would apply to all municipal water system operators, all landowners with wells - including individual private and/or agricultural water supplies - and littoral property owners who draft water from water bodies such as creeks or Clear Lake. These regulations could apply to every property in the Clear Lake Watershed, regardless of its proximity to the lake, creeks or streams where Hitch could exist.
These regulations have the potential for significant impacts, and staff has placed this item on the agenda for your Board’s discussion, and to allow for public input. It should also be noted that the State has scheduled two public workshops - October 19th at 2:00 p.m. in your Board’s Chambers and October 24th at 10:00 a.m. online via zoom - for additional public participation.
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