TO: Board of Supervisors
FROM: Brian Bordona - Interim Director of Planning, Building and Environmental Sciences
REPORT BY: Jamison Crosby, Natural Resources Conservation Manager
SUBJECT: Temporary Monitoring Well and Access Easement Agreement with Realty Income Inc. for Construction of Monitoring Wells
RECOMMENDATION
title
Interim Director of Planning, Building and Environmental Services (PBES) requests approval of and authorization for the Chair to sign Agreement No. 230254B, with Realty Income Inc. for the initial term of December 6, 2022, to December 5, 2032, for easement access for the construction of monitoring wells.
body
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Napa County was awarded a Proposition 68 Grant from the Department of Water Resources (DWR) in 2020 under the Sustainable Groundwater Management Program Planning - Round 3 and executed an agreement with DWR on January 7, 2020. The grant includes $236,100 of funding for the installation of four (4) nested, dual-completion groundwater monitoring wells to be installed at multiple locations in the Napa Valley Subbasin. The County identified two (2) County-owned parcels for the installation of two of the four wells. The remaining two wells will be installed on private property owned by Realty Income, Inc. Drilling of the wells is scheduled to commence on January 9, 2023.
FISCAL & STRATEGIC PLAN IMPACT
|
Is there a Fiscal Impact? |
Yes |
|
Is it currently budgeted? |
Yes |
|
Where is it budgeted? |
Org 2720000 |
|
Is it Mandatory or Discretionary? |
Mandatory |
|
Is the general fund affected? |
Yes |
|
Future fiscal impact: |
Well installation cost is covered by grant. The cost of ongoing maintenance of the wells will be the responsibility of the County |
|
Consequences if not approved: |
Significant data gaps in the County’s monitoring network will not be filled. |
|
County Strategic Plan pillar addressed: |
Vibrant and Sustainable Environment |
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
Napa County was awarded a Proposition 68 Grant from the Department of Water Resources (DWR) in 2020 under the Sustainable Groundwater Management Program Planning - Round 3 and executed an agreement with DWR on January 7, 2020. The grant includes $236,100 of funding for the installation of four (4) nested, dual-completion groundwater monitoring wells to be installed at multiple locations in the Napa Valley Subbasin (Subbasin). The County identified two (2) County-owned parcels for the installation of two of the four wells (Petra Drive at Silverado Trail and South Jefferson at the South Wetlands area). The remaining two (2) wells will be installed on private properties owned by Realty Income, Inc as shown in the attached agreement.
The terms “nested, dual-completion” refer to the fact that in each of the four (4) borings, two PVC well casings will be installed, each at different depths and targeting different parts of the aquifer. Despite being nested in the same boring, the two casings function independently in the same way as they would if they were located in separate borings some distance apart. Therefore, four (4) nested, dual completion wells equal 8 individual wells.
The purpose of installing these additional monitoring wells is to fill data gaps in the County’s existing monitoring network and improve the characterization of shallow hydrogeologic conditions, particularly for shallow aquifer zones near important surface water aquatic habitats and groundwater dependent ecosystems. These new wells are expected to become Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) representative sites for the Subbasin for the purposes of tracking measurable objectives and minimum thresholds which were established for the Subbasin in the County’s Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP) which was submitted to DWR on January 31, 2022.
Once installed, self-contained water level data loggers will be installed and subsequent monthly to semiannual visits will be made to retrieve the data and perform maintenance.
The easement will be in effect for an initial period of ten (10) years, after which Realty Income, Inc. may extend the term of the easement upon written request by the County.
Drilling of the wells is scheduled to commence on January 9, 2023, and must be completed no later than May 31, 2023, to conform with the grant agreement.