TO: Technical Advisory Group for the Napa County Groundwater Sustainability Agency
FROM: Brian Bordona - Director, Planning, Building and Environmental Services
REPORT BY: Jamison Crosby - Natural Resources Conservation Manager
SUBJECT: TAG Consideration to Recommend GSA Board of Directors Adopt Workplans
RECOMMENDATION
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The Technical Advisory Group (TAG) will consider voting to recommend adoption of the 3 revised Draft Workplans and the Combined Program Overview document by the Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA) Board of Directors.
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The TAG has deliberated and provided significant input in the development of 3 GSP Workplans over the previous 21 months. County staff and the technical team have incorporated feedback from the TAG and public comments into the development of the 3 Workplans. These revisions have been incorporated into drafts of the Workplans at the February and March TAG meetings. This item is for the TAG to consider recommending the GSA adopt the Workplans and the Combined Program Overview document at the GSA Board of Directors meeting on March 26, 2024.
PROCEDURAL REQUIREMENTS
1. Staff reports.
2. Public comments.
3. Motion, second, discussion and vote on the item.
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 TAG has been involved in the development of the 3 GSP Workplans over the previous 21 months. These Workplans emerged from Project and Management Actions within the approved Groundwater Sustainability Plan that provide significant opportunity to achieve sustainability within the Napa Valley Subbasin. The Napa County Water Conservation Workplan (WC Workplan) and the Groundwater Pumping Reduction Workplan (GPR Workplan) have been developed as stakeholder-facing tools aimed at promoting voluntary water conservation practices and reducing groundwater pumping. The WC Workplan serves as a technical resource, offering insights into water conservation practices while emphasizing opportunities, resources, and funding mechanisms available for their implementation.
Its counterpart, the GPR Workplan, focuses on voluntary actions to mitigate groundwater depletion. This includes assessing the cost-effectiveness of alternative actions, leveraging existing programs, and integrating an adaptive management process to monitor and adjust conservation efforts over time.
The Interconnected Surface Water and Groundwater Dependent Ecosystems (ISW and GDEs) Workplan for the Napa Valley Subbasin underscores the importance of ecological and hydrological considerations. It seeks to understand the intricate dynamics between groundwater levels, surface water flow, and the health of groundwater-dependent ecosystems (GDEs).
In summary, the WC Workplan, GPR Workplan, and ISW and GDEs Workplan represent a comprehensive framework to address the complex challenges of groundwater management in the Napa Valley Subbasin. The TAG is asked to consider recommending the GSA adopt the Workplans and the Combined Program Overview document at the GSA Board of Directors meeting on March 26, 2024.
SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS
A. All documents supporting this item can be found attached to items 5b and 5c for the March 14, 2024 TAG meeting.