Sustainable Groundwater Management Act Sonoma Valley Governance

1. Sustainable Groundwater Management Act Sonoma Valley Governance March 27, 2017, Community Meeting

2. Agenda • Welcome • Meeting Purpose • Summary & Background • Sustainable Groundwater Management Act Requirements • Basin Conditions • Governance in Sonoma Valley • Board, Advisory Committee • Staffing & Funding • Next Steps/Timeline

3. SGMA Brief Summary • Three medium priority basins must comply with SGMA • Sonoma Valley • Petaluma Valley • Santa Rosa Plain

4. Required Steps to Groundwater Sustainability Step two Develop Groundwater Sustainability Plan January 31, 2022 Step three Achieve Sustainability 20 years after adoption of plan* Step one Form Groundwater Sustainability Agency June 30, 2017 * DWR may grant up to two, five-year extensions on implementation upon showing of good cause and progress

5. Management Authorities under SGMA • Groundwater Sustainability Agencies have authority to: • Conduct studies • Register & monitor wells • Set well spacing requirements • Require extraction reporting • Regulate extractions • Implement capital projects • Assess fees to cover costs • Required to Develop Groundwater Sustainability Plan by 2022

6. Sonoma Valley Water Conditions Estimated Total Water Use: 17,900 Acre-Feet (2012) • Urban demand primarily met through imported Russian River water • Agricultural and rural residential demand primarily met through local groundwater • At least 2,200 permitted groundwater wells Estimated Groundwater Use: 10,500 Acre-Feet (2012)

7. Forming Groundwater Sustainability Agencies PROPOSED GOVERNANCE STRUCTURE IN SONOMA VALLEY

8. Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA) Framework Structure Sonoma Valley GSA & GSP Petaluma Valley GSA & GSP Santa Rosa Plain GSA & GSP 1 GSA & 1 GSP per basin with formal coordination between basins

9. Local Implementation: GSA-Eligible Agencies

10. Possible Areas of Coordination Between Basins • Development of Groundwater Sustainability Plans • Data framework/management system • Basin boundary adjustments • Funding requests to external entities (such as the state) • Any activities that impact the adjacent basin • Communication with state and federal agencies • Projects that cross basin boundaries • Regulation development • Development of funding mechanisms • Public outreach and stakeholder engagement • Monitoring protocols and coordination with adjacent basins • Staffing

11. Adopted Principles for DevelopingGSA Governance Options • Build upon existing cooperation and successful water management efforts in Sonoma County • Reinforce “local management” principles in SGMA • Share resources and identify cohesive approach • Costs should be equitably shared • Represent community stakeholders through advisory committees • Conduct robust and transparent outreach

12. Proposed Governance:Sonoma Valley GSA Board • GSA Eligibility: Determined by State • GSA Board: One rep from each GSA-eligible entity • Representation: Elected/appointed officials from each entity serve on board

13. Proposed Governance:Sonoma Valley • Voting: One vote per entity • Simple majority for “housekeeping” (contracts, setting meeting dates, etc.) • Super-majority vote (2/3%) needed for fees, regulations, budgets • Unanimous vote needed to assess entities (if additional funds are needed for operating the GSA)

14. Proposed GovernanceSonoma Valley Advisory Body • Strong advisory body: Created for stakeholder input • Purpose: Advise GSA Board on plan development & implementation • Appointments: Formal application process • Representation: Most entities prefer advisory panel open to community members and staff • Terms: Two-year terms • Transparency: Public process, Brown Act meetings • Decision-making: Charter & protocols

15. Advisory Body Role Advise GSA Board on: • Development and implementation of Groundwater Sustainability plan • Regulations • Fees • Capital projects • Programs • Communications with stakeholder constituencies

16. Proposed GovernanceSonoma Valley Advisory Body

17. Start-Up Costs • Funding subcommittee formed representing all basins • 3 start-up cost components: • GSP preparation (largest cost component) • Administration & operations • Development of revenue mechanism • Estimates compare well with estimates from other areas • Focusing on coordination & utilization of existing staff to reduce costs • Start-up costs will be covered by commitments from GSA-participating entities

18. Estimated Year One Start-Up Costs

19. Sonoma Valley Management & Staffing • No new staff during first year • Valley of the Moon Water District will serve as interim administrator until GSA Board determines management structure • Other entities will provide in-kind services for: • Technical services • Monitoring • Fiscal services • Outreach • Staff from all entities will serve as sounding board for contracts and other issues

20. Final Decision Making on GSA Formation • Decision-makers: Boards and Councils of GSA-eligible agencies • Public Input: Public officials will consider public input • When? Spring 2017 • How? Legal documents will be completed in April-May 2017 for approval by Boards and Councils

21. What’s Next • April/May: Councils/Boards consider adoption of legal agreement • May/June: GSA holds public hearing to form • June: State notified of formation

22. Sonoma Valley Boards & CouncilHearing Dates

23. Resources & Email List www.sonomacountygroundwater.org Go online and join email list to receive monthly updates

24. Domestic Wells and SGMA • Referred to as “de minimis” users in SGMA • Use 2 acre-feet per year or less for domestic purposes • De minimis users are subject to SGMA, depending on local needs • GSAs will decide how de minimis users are incorporated • GSAs can decide to exclude or include • GSAs can decide on fees • GSAs cannot require metering • May be subject to reporting and fees to state if intervention occurs • Domestic wells can also be regulated by authorities (countiesand cities, etc.) outside the scope of SGMA