Napa County residents you don’t want to miss this opportunity to get input into managing your groundwater basins. The Groundwater Sustainable Management Act mandates that water use be “sustainable” and the state has given the panels authority to regulate water, impose fees, powers of imminent domain and investment in capital projects to name a few. Don’t let big ag coopt the meetings for their benefit.
Meeting Notice and SAVE THE DATE:
NCSFC Citizen Groundwater Empowerment Workshop
Napa County, November 13, 2018
Objective: To motivate citizens, including high school and college students, to participate in groundwater
planning for the Napa Valley and to give them the tools to participate effectively
I. Welcome and Introductions (10:00-10:15) Chris Malan
II. Introduction to SGMA: (10:15-10:30)
• Why SGMA was developed: groundwater conditions in California’s Groundwater Basins
• The results of unregulated groundwater extraction: CASGEM and what it found.
III. The Sustainable Groundwater Management Act and how it works. (10:30 – 11:30 (Handout #1)
• local control with state-defined requirements, including the role of DWR and SWRCB back-up
• SGMA’s definition of sustainable management
• “undesirable results” after January 1, 2015
• the planning process: water budgets, groundwater models and their limitations
• Small Group Exercise: Setting a Minimum Threshold or Understanding Water Budgets
IV. Undesirable Results in the Napa Valley and Napa County’s response. (11:30 – 12:00)
• Groundwater Dependent Ecosystems
• Streamflows
• Groundwater Dependent Ecosystems
• Other undesirable results
• The Alternative Plan & why it should be rejected
(Handout #2: an action alert inviting folks to comment on the Napa Alternative Plan)
LUNCH PROVIDED AND BREAK (12:00 – 1:00)
V. How environmental and other stakeholders can effectively participate in Groundwater Sustainability Plan
(GSP) development: Advocating for Groundwater Dependent Ecosystems (GDEs) and surface water
environmental flows. (1:00-2:00) Sandi Matsumoto/TNC-Sacramento
VI. Strategy for achieving a truly sustainable GSP for Napa Valley. (2:00-2:30) Felice Pace
• Brainstorm: How can we assure that Groundwater Management in Napa County is truly sustainable, that
is, sustainable without creating or exacerbating undesirable results?
• Key Strategies for achieving real sustainability without creating/exacerbating undesirable results:
◦ Participation is critical (including getting high school and community college students, boaters,
fishermen, birdwatchers, and other recreational users involved).
◦ Asking the right questions.
◦ Involving supportive professional hydrologists, biologists, fishermen, boaters, etc.
◦ Using your DWR representative, the NCSFC, UCS, TNC and NGO Collaborative resources.
◦ Keeping the SWRCB contact person informed.
VII. Discussion, Feedback and Next Steps. (2:30-2:55) Felice Pace and Chris Malan
(Suggestions will be captured on a slip chart and the results will be sent to all participants)
• What more do citizens need to participate effectively?
• What is the most effective strategy to achieve sustainable groundwater management?
• What are you willing to do to help?
• Next Steps
VIII. Closing (2:55-3:00) Chris Malan