History:
In 2014, the State of California passed the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, which required Napa County to form a Groundwater Sustainability Plan and a Groundwater Sustainable Agency (GSA) to manage and protect groundwater for future generations. The county claimed successful management of groundwater (GW) for the past ten years and asked for an alternative to having to form a GSA: to keep on as they have.
Informed citizens, including several from Napa Vision 2050, offered their comments and concerns suggesting that the groundwater sub-basin was not sustainable.
In 2019, the State Department of Water Resources denied the county’s alternative plan, citing failure to analyze and discuss the undesirable results of land subsidence, dry wells, surface water depletion, saltwater intrusion, and decline in groundwater quality.
In late December 2019, the Board of Supervisors named themselves to constitute the newly formed Groundwater Sustainability Agency for Napa County. A key element of the preparation of a sustainability plan is to ensure that ALL RELEVANT STAKEHOLDERS have input to the plan. Therefore the GSA Board is forming a GW Sustainability Advisory Committee and is asking for citizen applications for this committee. It is critically important that a broad array of water-using citizens have a presence on this committee. If you drink water and want to ensure that you and future generations have a sustainable aquifer then please volunteer to serve on this most important committee.
Documents:
Application form for the Napa County SGMA Advisory Committee.
Letter from California Department of Water Resources to Napa County Disapproving Alternative Plan
Denial Nov 14 2019 – Napa Valley Statement of Findings
Board of Supervisors Agenda, December 17, 2019: Formation of GSA
DWR Completes Prioritization of Groundwater Basins Under SGMA, December 18, 2019