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 and GSP Project #1: Managed Aquifer Recharge
RECOMMENDATION
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Technical Advisory Group (TAG) members will receive a presentation on Project 1 of GSP Implementation: Managed Aquifer Recharge, including an update on the feasibility study underway. The TAG will also receive an update on current vineyard fallowing in Napa Valley. This is intended to spur discussion, questions, and provide feedback to staff and participants.
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Procedure
Staff introduces.
Questions and answers with the TAG.
Public comments.
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 voluntary incentive-driven programs are insufficient.
An overview of current vineyard replants and idle land will be presented to the TAG. Current wine industry market conditions have prompted shifts in planting and replanting in the Subbasin following the 2024 and 2025 harvests, which may influence the adoption of an extended vineyard replant program and potential recharge sites (see below). An analysis was performed of current winegrape market conditions impacting growers' decisions and to document vineyards that have come out of producti...
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