On April 9, 2019 the County Board of Supervisors approved a contract with Water System Consulting (WSC) to develop a GSP for the SLO Basin. Following this selection, the GSC held a kick-off meeting on April 10, 2019 to initiate the development of a GSP.
SGMA Efforts to Date
At this meeting, the GSC received a summary update of SGMA efforts in the SLO Basin, including the formation of the City and County GSAs and the development of the GSC structure. Some salient points discussed were:
The GSC is made up of representatives from the GSAs and participating partners that act as an advisory body to the GSAs regarding the development of a GSP. The GSP must be completed by January 31, 2022 and be compliant with the Final GSP Emergency Regulations approved by the California Water Commission. The GSP must outline a clear, scientifically supported and sustainable path to address declining groundwater conditions and other undesirable results within the SLO Basin.
Stakeholder Involvement
The participation of stakeholders plays an important role in the GSP development. Rather than establishing a Stakeholder Advisory Committee (SAC) to oversee stakeholder engagement, the GSC approved an alternative approach based on recommendations from a SAC formation working group. Quarterly GSC meetings and stakeholder workshops will be used as an open forum for all interested stakeholders to participate. The GSC believe this approach will be more effective and inclusive than the use of a SAC.
GSP Timeline and Team
WSC provided an overview of the GSP development process, responsibilities of each team member and a timeline. WSC has partnered with GSI Water Solutions, Inc. (GSI), Cleath-Harris Geologists, (CHG), GEI Consultants Inc. (GEI), and Stillwater Sciences (Stillwater) to bring the right combination of technical and stakeholder facilitation expertise to develop a compliant and defensible GSP that will deliver the greatest value to the SLO Basin partners.