TO: Technical Advisory Group for the Napa County Groundwater Sustainability Agency
FROM: Brian D. Bordona - Director of Planning, Building and Environmental Services
REPORT BY: Jamison Crosby, Natural Resources Conservation Manager
SUBJECT: Napa Valley Subbasin GPR Implementation: Technical Advisory Group Review of Program Development
RECOMMENDATION
title
Technical Advisory Group (TAG) members will receive a presentation on the revised certification program concept, the development of incentive concepts to support implementation of the Groundwater Pumping Reduction and Water Conservation Workplans, an extended replanting concept program, as well as updates on related education and outreach strategies and a brief update on the water use benchmarking program. This is intended to spur discussion, questions, and provide feedback to staff and participants.
Procedure
Staff introduces.
Questions and answers with the TAG.
Public comments.
body
BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION
The Napa County Groundwater Sustainability Agency (NCGSA) is implementing the Water Conservation (WC) and Groundwater Pumping Reduction (GPR) Workplans (March 2024). The WC Workplan identified a suite of water conservation practices and the GPR Workplan developed an implementation plan to achieve measurable groundwater pumping reductions and overall water savings in the Napa Valley Subbasin (Subbasin). GPR implementation includes a voluntary, incentive-driven program for growers and other water users/industries in the Subbasin to adopt and expand water conservation practices. Mandatory measures are also included if the voluntary incentive-driven programs are insufficient. Implementation also includes evaluation of on-farm practices to increase infiltration (recharge).
The TAG has received information and presentations regarding WC, GPR, and certification program concepts, incentives, outreach, and benchmarking from NCGSA staff and consultants at TAG meetings in 2022, 2023, and 2024. A water conservation certification program concept was presented at the November 2024 TAG meeting. Program concepts have been revised in response to comments and feedback from TAG members and external stakeholders. New program concepts will be introduced, with additional discussion at this (March) TAG meeting. The certification program concept has been refined to expand the potential program partners from just certification programs to, potentially, other interested organizations in collaboration with existing certification programs. In addition, the program concept has been expanded to emphasize grower incentives for participating in the program. Modifications to the program concepts will be presented during the TAG meeting and cover the following areas: (i) editorial changes to the document, (ii) modifying/clarifying water conservation practices, (iii) updating verification requirements, (iv) expanding potential program partnerships, (v) examples for how the program could be implemented, and, importantly, (vi) grower incentives.
The TAG will also have an opportunity to review the current progress in other GPR implementation elements including developing concepts for incentives, outreach and education, a rotational replant program, and benchmarking. Several topics/questions are identified to encourage discussion/feedback from TAG members.
Many water users have adopted water conservation practices, and outreach for WC and GPR implementation has identified some challenges for expanding adoption of practices. Obstacles include but are not limited to; knowledge of practices, unfamiliarity with groundwater management and the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), time, capital, access to technology, and business value for changing water management practices. Workplan implementation is being updated to address these obstacles through incentives and continued outreach and education.
Incentives to encourage the expansion of water conservation practices are under development. Specific incentives for growers will be presented for the water certification partnership concept. An update on other incentive concepts that would apply to other GSA programs will also be presented.
Outreach and education support GSP implementation and is an important part of the GPR. An overview of the GPR outreach and education program will be presented. The goal of outreach is encouraging more water conservation, increasing understanding of water issues in the Napa Valley Subbasin, connecting stakeholders to the Workplans, creating forums for exchanging ideas, refining programs, and improving engagement.
Seven outreach and education components have been identified: branding and website; one-on-one conversations; facilitated discussions; opportunities with partner organizations; education field days; public meetings, workshops, presentations; and targeted marketing. An overview of activities will be presented.
A benchmarking program is being developed to provide information on water use to individuals. A brief update on the benchmarking program development process will be presented. The empirical approach estimates average consumptive water use and compares a parcel’s relative use to an anonymous peer group benchmark for the period. The methodology is currently undergoing refinement through testing and feedback with a test site, and the “scorecard” output is being developed. A brief update will be provided.
A concept for a demand management program that would incentivize extended vineyard replanting will be presented for TAG feedback. The program would offer incentives for extending the period between when an old vineyard is removed, and a new vineyard is (re)planted. The program would achieve water savings by extending the idle period. A landowner would be compensated (incentivized) to take this action. Similar concepts have been considered in other groundwater subbasins. A conceptual overview will be presented for the TAG.
Question/Prompts for TAG Discussion
Three (3) questions were identified for this TAG meeting. Questions are presented below.
1. Should other incentive categories be included in the GPR incentive analysis?
• Additional context: Incentives are something that encourage changes in behavior, such as participation in a project and/or the adoption of new technologies. For example, benchmarking reports can improve users’ awareness of their water use, subtly informing their decisions and encouraging conservation of the resource, as a nudging incentive.
2. Are there other outreach and education opportunities that should be considered for the strategy?
• Additional context: Outreach and education activities create opportunities to share information, receive feedback, improve the design of programs, partner with other organizations, and provide resources. Outreach and education activities are ongoing, but strategies to coordinate and increase engagement would be valuable. Identifying partner programs would support implementation.
3. How should the extended replant program concept be refined?
• Additional context: The extended replant program concept is a form of voluntary demand management, incentivizing vineyard managers to save water by extending the fallow period. Initial feedback on the approach, structure, and metrics will support program refinements.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION: The proposed action is not a project as defined by 14 California Code of Regulations 15378 (State CEQA Guidelines) and therefore CEQA is not applicable.
SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS
A. ERA Economics PowerPoint Presentation: GPR Workplan Implementation Update, March 2025