DATE: March 11, 2025
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: Steven E. White, Director
Department of Public Works and Planning
SUBJECT: Fresno County Management Area A and Management Area B Groundwater Sustainability Agency's Pumping Reduction Plan
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
TITLE
Approve and adopt the Fresno County Management Area A and Management Area B Groundwater Sustainability Agency's (GSA) Pumping Reduction Plan.
REPORT
Approval of the recommended action will adopt the Delta-Mendota (DM) Groundwater Subbasin Pumping Reduction Plan for the Fresno County Management Area A and Management Area B (FCMA) GSA, which includes well metering, monitoring, and reporting guidelines as outlined in the Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP), as required by the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA). This item pertains to locations in District 1.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
Your Board may determine not to approve the recommended action; however, it would delay the adoption of the Pumping Reduction Plan (PRP) required by SGMA and Section 16.1.1 of the GSP to achieve sustainability.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no increase in Net County Cost associated with the recommended action. The County's costs to develop the PRP are included in Agreement 24-133 between the County and Luhdorff and Scalmanini Consulting Engineers (LSCE). Sufficient appropriations and estimated revenues are included in the County Administrative Office's FY 2024-2025 Adopted Budget Org 2540 (Interest and Miscellaneous Expenditures) to cover the tasks expected to be completed.
DISCUSSION:
SGMA was signed into law September 16, 2014, and codified at Water Code sections 10720 to 10737.8, which established a new structure for managing California's groundwater resources at a local level by local agencies. SGMA allowed the formation of locally controlled Groundwater Sustainability Agencies in Department of Water Resources (DWR) higher priority groundwater basins. Each GSA was then required to develo...
Click here for full text