Title
Consider receiving an update on the Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA) formation process; and recommending that the Board of Supervisors of the County of Monterey appoint a Primary and Alternate representative to the Initial GSA Board of Directors from the Monterey County Water Resources Agency for the GSA-eligible Board seat.
Report
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the Monterey County Water Resources Agency Board of Directors:
Receive an update on the Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA) formation process; and recommend that the Board of Supervisors appoint a Primary and Alternate representative to the Initial GSA Board of Directors from the Monterey County Water Resources Agency for the GSA-eligible Board seat.
SUMMARY/DISCUSSION:
The Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) was established to provide local (newly-formed) GSAs the tools and powers needed to develop, implement and monitor groundwater in a sustainable manner. The SGMA defines sustainability as a 50-year horizon, and through the use of Groundwater Sustainability Plans (GSPs), the GSA has the ability to manage and regulate the use of groundwater within the groundwater basin for which it is responsible.
As the GSA formation process moved forward, it was deemed that a facilitated process was necessary to establish a GSA for the Salinas Valley Groundwater Basin (Basin). The process then began holding large stakeholder meetings to provide information to the public regarding SGMA, GSAs, etc. In addition, a smaller "Collaborative Working Group" (CWG) began meeting approximately once or twice a month to work through focused issues that then are brought back to the larger stakeholder meetings. The CWG has met 16 times to date.
This CWG process (over 18 months) has worked through a number of issues, and has resulted in the development of a governance structure for the GSA-a Joint Powers Authority (JPA) with an 11-member Board of Directors with the following seats:
1) City o...
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