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...
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