TO: Technical Advisory Group (TAG) 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 Vineyard and Winery Certification Program Framework
RECOMMENDATION
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The Technical Advisory Group (TAG) members will receive a presentation of the current proposed framework for the water conservation certification program requirements and five topics requiring further review, pose questions, and provide feedback to staff and participants.
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BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION
The Napa County Groundwater Sustainability Agency (NCGSA) has developed and is implementing the Water Conservation (WC) and Groundwater Pumping Reduction (GPR) Workplans. The GPR includes an implementation plan and anticipated timeline for the program to achieve measurable reductions in groundwater pumping in the Napa Valley Subbasin. The WC and GPR Workplans identify a suite of water conservation practices. The GPR Workplan defines water conservation practices based on their result: “Water conservation actions can result in two types of groundwater savings: a reduction in total groundwater pumping and/or a reduction in net depletion of the groundwater (total groundwater pumping less useable groundwater that returns to the aquifer, e.g., through incidental recharge).” GPR implementation anticipates a voluntary program that incentivizes growers and other water users/industries in the Subbasin to adopt and expand water conservation practices.
One opportunity identified in the GPR implementation plan for encouraging voluntary adoption of water conservation practices is vineyard and winery certification programs. Certification programs require producers to meet specified standards to become certified. In exchange, certified businesses can meet regulatory standards (depending on the certification program), label their product in a certain way, and have access to new markets and value. Developing a certification program for water conservation practices (or expanding upon one or more existing certification programs) is one way to encourage voluntary adoption of water conservation practices.
The GPR implementation plan specifies that NCGSA staff and its consultants will work with existing certification programs, or potentially a new program, to develop specific water conservation practices, standards, and a method for reporting and sharing data. In short, the goal is to develop or expand one or more certification programs to achieve and verify additional water conservation in the Napa Valley Subbasin. Over the last few months, NCGSA staff and consultants have been working to develop the potential framework (including minimum requirements) for a water conservation certification program. The framework currently explores potential program structures, monitored water conservation practices, data reporting and verification, water use measurement, impact evaluation, costs and funding, and outreach and education.
The TAG has received information and presentations regarding certification programs from NCGSA staff and consultants at multiple TAG meetings in 2022, 2023, and 2024. During today’s meeting, the TAG will have an opportunity to review the draft proposed certification program framework and discuss details related to the creation of this program. To guide the discussion, five discussion topics/questions are identified that would benefit from input from TAG members for effective program implementation.
Question/Prompts for TAG Discussion
For a voluntary certification program to be a successful part of GPR implementation it must result in the adoption of new water conservation practices (and expansion of existing practices that are already widely adopted), verification of water conservation, and (for the entire Subbasin in aggregate) result in demonstrable, collective progress towards reducing groundwater pumping.
The water certification program guideline document is under development. Some details need additional review and discussion. Five (5) program components/details were identified for this TAG meeting. Questions are presented below.
1. What is the preferred structure for the water conservation program?
• Additional context: Four different structures were considered during previous discussions. These include a stand-alone, NCGSA-specified program; a single existing program endorsed by NCGSA; multiple existing programs endorsed by NCGSA, or an expanded local program in partnership with NCGSA.
• Potential discussion topics:
o What structures are best suited to reaching the program goals?
o What is the administrative burden for each of these options?
2. What method(s) for measuring water use should be included in the water conservation certification program guidelines?
• Additional context: Determining how the program will measure water is key to calculate groundwater savings and the impact of the program. Water meters are an option for measuring gross (applied) water use. Alternate methods require additional assumptions/calculations and include well electricity usage or timing records, irrigation timing and specification records, and remote sensing ET methods.
• Potential discussion topics:
o Will the voluntary certification program require metering as part of certification requirements?
o Will there be a transition period?
o Will alternative methods be accepted for measuring water use in the absence of a meter?
3. How should the water conservation certification program define baseline water use?
• Additional context: Water conservation is measured relative to a baseline that should represent what water use would have been in the absence of adopting water conservation practices. Defining an appropriate baseline requires defining the water use measure(s) (e.g., gross vs net), water year type (e.g., drought, wet, avg.), field/crop conditions (e.g., recent replant, variety, etc.), and other factors. Historical data may initially be limited and will need to be developed over time.
• Potential discussion topics:
o Which alternative methods/data will be accepted for measuring water use in the absence of a meter for historical baseline?
4. What will the program require for data management, calculating water savings, and reporting to ensure water savings?
• Additional context: Verifying water conservation requires collecting data and either calculating water savings (i.e., by the certification program) or reporting that data to a third party to calculate water savings. Certification programs and stakeholders have expressed concerns about maintaining data confidentiality.
• Potential discussion topics:
o What are the greatest concerns from potential participants regarding data confidentiality?
o Who will be responsible for managing data, calculating water savings, and reporting results to NCGSA?
o For calculating water savings and reporting results, what level of data detail should be used?
5. What are the considerations for program incentives?
• Additional context: Incentives may be offered to encourage voluntary participation in certification (or other GPR programs). Incentives for the participant, certification program, or both could be direct payments, cost share opportunities, reducing other barriers to entry, creating value for participation, or other items to be determined.
• Potential discussion topics:
o What is going to help reduce barriers for participants to become certified and adopt water conservation practices?
o What are stakeholders looking for in terms of incentives to participate in a certification program?
o What incentives should be considered to encourage partner organizations to participate if pursuing existing program(s) structure?
Procedure
Staff introduces.
Questions and answers with the TAG.
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.
SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS
• ERA Economics PowerPoint Presentation: Certification Program for GPR Implementation, September 2024