Memorandum
Date: June 22, 2021
To: The Honorable Bruno Sabatier, Chair, Lake County Board of Supervisors
From: Marina Deligiannis, Deputy Water Resources Director and Big Valley GSPAC Lead
Subject: (Sitting as the Board of Directors for the Lake County Watershed Protection District acting as the Big Valley Groundwater Sustainability Agency) Approve Amendment No. 1 for the Big Valley Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA) Charter Document
Executive Summary: (include fiscal and staffing impact narrative):
The Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), adopted by the state of California in 2014, allows local agencies to better manage California’s groundwater supplies over a long-term and sustainable manner. SGMA requires local agencies with medium or high priority basins to; 1) form a Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA) and 2) develop and implement a Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP) by January 31, 2022. Lake County encompasses one (1) medium priority basin, Big Valley Groundwater Basin (5-015).
On August 6, 2019, the Board of Supervisors, acting as the Board of Directors of the Lake County Watershed Protection District adopted the Resolution electing to form the Big Valley GSA and Big Valley Advisory Committee (GSPAC) as outlined by SGMA. The role of the GSPAC is to provide stakeholder and community perspective and to provide recommendations to the BVGSA Board for decision-making that must be done in the course of developing the Big Valley GSP.
On April 27, 2021, the Board of Directors of the Lake County Watershed Protection District acting as the Big Valley GSA adopted the draft Charter for the GSP Advisory Committee GSPAC. The adopted GSPAC Charter document allows the GSPAC members to formally convene in regular and ad hoc meetings, that will be publicly noticed and open to the public, as the BVGSA takes GSPAC guidance and recommendations while working through the development, adoption, and submission of its GSP due on January 31, 2022.
Since its inception, the GSPAC has held two (2) public meetings, both of which included discussion on the remaining vacant seats on the GSPAC needing to be filled. These vacant seats include: one (1) vacant Environmental / Ecosystem seat, one (1) vacant Disadvantaged Community seat, and one (1) vacant Private User - Domestic Well Owner seat.
During the May 28, 2021 public GSAPC meeting, Val Nixon from the Lake County Land Trust volunteered to fill the vacant Environmental / Ecosystem seat and Sky Hoyt, a domestic well owner volunteered to fill the vacant Private Users - Domestic Well Owner seat. The GSPAC, a non-voting committee, unanimously agreed that both Val Nixon and Sky Hoyt would be suitable candidates to fill the two (2) vacant seats on the Big Valley GSPAC
Amendment No. 1 to the Big Valley GSPAC Charter includes a) modification of identifying Big Valley Groundwater basin as a “basin” instead of a “subbasin” throughout the document and b) identifying Val Nixon from the Lake County Land Trust to fill the vacant Environmental / Ecosystem seat and Sky Hoyt, a domestic well owner to fill the vacant Private User - Domestic Well Owner seat.
Upon the Board’s acceptance of Amendment No. 1 of the Big Valley GSA / GSPAC Charter Document will replace the approved April 27, 2021 GSPAC Charter.
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Recommended Action:
Board of Directors of the Lake County Watershed Protection District acting as the Big Valley GSA Approve Amendment No. 1 of the Big Valley GSA / GSPAC Charter Document.