SGMA Compliance Efforts to Date
Attendees received a summary of SGMA compliance efforts to date, including background on governance, as well as the formation of the Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSAs) and the Groundwater Sustainability Commission (GSC). Compliance efforts completed since the June 12 GSC meeting include:
The draft Communications and Engagement Plan (C&E Plan) was posted for public comment to SLOWaterBasin.com from July 24, 2019-August 31, 2019. View C&E Plan public comments
The first Stakeholder Workshop was held on August 21, 2019 and provided an overview of SGMA and the key considerations for achieving sustainable groundwater management. If you missed this meeting or would like to learn more, listen to the workshop audio recording or download the workshop slides
Chapters 1-2 Open for Public Comment
The consulting team of Water Systems Consulting (WSC) and GSI Water Solutions (GSI) presented a summary of Chapters 1 and 2 of the Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP), which covers materials for administrative information. A draft of Chapters 1 and 2 was approved by the GSC to be published to SLOWaterBasin.com for public comment. Public comment for Chapters 1 and 2 remains open through October 31, 2019. To review the chapters and submit comments, please visit SLOWaterBasin.com/review-documents.
Chapter 1: Introduction to the SLO Basin GSP — This chapter summarizes the purpose of the GSP, describes the characteristics of the SLO Basin, and explains why the Department of Water Resources (DWR) gave the Basin a high priority designation.
Chapter 2: Agency Information — This chapter summarizes the GSA governance structure, how the GSAs and the GSC are organized, the authority each agency has in developing and implementing the GSP, and the coordination agreement established between the agencies via the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA).
Basin Setting and Integrated Groundwater/Surface Water Model Update
The consulting team of WSC and GSI provided an update on the Basin Setting chapter, as well as the development of the integrated groundwater/surface water model. Drafts of Chapters 3-4 covering the Description of the Plan Area and Basin Setting will be presented at the December 11, 2019 GSC meeting; Chapter 5 covering the Groundwater Conditions will be presented at the March 11, 2020 GSC meeting.
The consultant team from GSI and Cleath-Harris Geologists presented a detailed description of the SLO Basin, including the following details:
Confirmation of the Basin boundary
Groundwater conditions within the Basin
The geologic make-up of the Basin and how it affects groundwater
Groundwater hydrographs and how they are interpreted
Gaps in the well monitoring network
GSI also gave a presentation about the integrated groundwater/surface water model. The model, which is being developed using GSFLOW, will simulate how water moves through the SLO Basin above- and below-ground. The model will be calibrated using past observed conditions to gain confidence that the water system in the SLO Basin is accurately represented and will then be used to simulate the effects of projects and management actions on the Basin.