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: Review of Comments and Update on the ISW/GDEs Workplan
RECOMMENDATION
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Provide an update to the Technical Advisory Group (TAG) on progress for the Interconnected Surface Water (ISW) and Groundwater Dependent Ecosystems (GDEs) Workplan. This will focus on public comments and the revised drafts of the Workplans.
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Public Draft of the ISW and GDEs Workplan was submitted for public comments on October 30, 2023 with comments due by January 30, 2024. The Workplans were presented at three public workshops held in December 2023 and January 2024. Public input has been received that will improve the Workplan and Workplan implementation. At this TAG meeting an overview of the response to public comments on the Workplan is presented, along with revised drafts of the Workplan for TAG consideration and recommended submittal to the Napa County Groundwater Sustainability Agency.
Procedure
1. Staff introduces the item
2. Questions and answers with the TAG
3. Public comments
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.
BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION
The ISW and GDE Workplan for the Napa Valley Subbasin includes ecologic and hydrologic background data, develops and implements a prioritization approach for intensive study site selection for biological surveys, assesses the ecohydrology of the intensive sites, and provides a study plan to understand the linkage between groundwater levels, surface water flow, and GDE health. In addition, the Workplan approach includes implementing Sections A and B of the California Environmental Flows Framework (CEFF) in the Subbasin. Workplan implementation is scheduled to begin in 2024 with findings of surveys included in annual reports and will be summarized in a technical report for inclusion in the five-year GSP update in January 2027.
The Public Draft of the Workplan was released on October 30, 2023 and the comment period extended through January 30, 2024. The Technical Advisory Group (TAG) approved the ISW and GDEs Workplan Outline in November 2022 and provided comments to presentations of ISW and GDEs Workplan elements during 4 meetings from February-October 2023. The ISW and GDEs Workplan was also presented at three public meetings: on December 11, 2023 in Yountville, December 12, 2023 over Zoom, and January 9, 2024 in Napa. Comments from the TAG were discussed at the February 8, 2024 TAG meeting which focused on comments from TAG members. Comments to the Workplan were also presented at the February 2024 Napa Watershed Information & Conservation Council (WICC) meeting.
As presented at the February 8, 2024 TAG meeting, comments were categorized into editorial comments, technical comments, and comments regarding ISW and GDEs Workplan implementation (Chapter 6). The editorial comments included suggested edits to the text and figures to correct typos or figure components that were difficult to read or missing. More than half of the comments were categorized as technical comments, including requests for clarification of technical details, additional supporting information, and requests for additional details in the text and figures for Workplan Chapters 1-5. Several technical comments focused on the inclusion of longfin smelt as a GDE. Other technical comments included the mapping of intermittent and perennial streams, which was based on 2019 maps provided by the Napa County Resource Conservation District (RCD). The flow condition in the intensive study sites as well as the much more extensive hydrological monitoring program will be evaluated as part of Workplan implementation. Other comments focused on the site prioritization, which was developed based on TAG priorities.
Workplan implementation comments included requested changes to the monitoring schedule and requests for details of the flow connectivity study. Comments regarding CEFF were generally positive with questions about implementing CEFF Section C (Developing Environmental Flow Regulations in conjunction with other stakeholders). CEFF Section C will not be implemented as part of this Workplan. There were also some comments regarding the implementation approach to CEFF Section A, which were addressed in the revised Workplan.
As described above, the March 2024 TAG meeting will focus on how public comments were addressed and the revised drafts of the Workplans that are ready for TAG consideration and recommended submittal to the Napa County Groundwater Sustainability Agency. A brief overview of next steps for implementation will be presented.
FRAMING QUESTION FOR TAG DELIBERATIONS
The presentation includes a framing question has been prepared for the TAG related to the revised draft ISW and GDEs Workplan.
• Are there any additional public comments that should be further discussed or addressed?
SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS
A. Stillwater Sciences PowerPoint Presentation: Revised Interconnected Surface Water and Groundwater Dependent Ecosystems Workplan, March 2024
B. ISW and GDEs Workplan Redline and Clean Versions
C. Response to Comments Matrix for ISW and GDEs Workplan
D. Technical Memo Transmitting Workplans