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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCounty of Glenn letter and invitation COUNTY OF 6 L&K4Ao DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, WATER RESOURCES 720 North Colusa Street Marcie Skelton +�� y t1F4P,O,Box 351 Willows,Ca 95988 Agricu8tural Commissioner Phone:530-934-5501 Sealer of Weights&Measures Pax:530-934-6503 Lisa Hunter wateradv r@countyofglenn.net Water Resource Coordinator rf67P i#NtiA. www.glenncou ntywater.org June 22, 2016 Board of Supervisors Butte County 25 COUNTY CENTER DRIVE,SUITE 2O0 CIROVILLE, CA 95965 Dear Board of Supervisors: This letter is to invite you to participate in an important meeting on July 14,2016.The County of Glenn has responsibilities required by State Lave concerning groundwater management. These responsibilities may affect your agency in the near future. Please read the following and plan to attend the meeting on.July 14. The State Legislature passed the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act(SGMA) in 2014 and the law went into effect on January 1„ 2015. We have been implementing SGMA in Glenn County since 2015. In early 20116 a series of publicly accessible meetings started to address governance options and SGMA planning. Examples of these meetings include a Public Meeting on March R,2016 and monthly Governance Work Group Meetings since April 2016. SGMA provides that any"local public agency that has water supply, water management, or land use responsibilities in a groundwater basin" is eliigible to notice itself as a "Groundwater Sustainability Agency" (GSA). A GSA can be made up of a single local agency or two or more local agencies partnered together. The GSA is the only type of governing agency created under SGMA. Each GSA has important authorities afforded to it but also significant resource-intensive roles and responsibilities. All GSAs must be legally farmedand noticed to the California Department of Water Resources by June 30, 2017. SGMA also mandates that any areas of a groundwater basin that are not included in a GSA automatically became the responsibility of the presiding county. If a county is not willing or able to take on this responsibility,the State Water Resources Control Board will intervene and take over regulation of local groundwater use. Glenn County has communicated to local agencies and the State that it will carry out its SGMA responsibilities. The County will work collaboratively with all local agencies to create one or more GSAs. 0 VVehave communicated toall known eligible GSAsabout the monthly Governance Work Group Meetings suthey can express their interests. Asthis process continues, it isvery important that local agencies make their opinions and expectations heard. |tisvital tounderstand the roles that each eligible agency envisions|twill fill inSGW1Aimplementation snxwe can ensure that our entire county is complying with the law and avoids State intervention. The County believes that such intervention [snot in the best interest of our citizens. We know and understand that some agencies are not prepared to take Vnthe responsibility ofbeing a GSA and xve are here tmsupport them. But for agencies that expect toplay arole inSGMAgovernance, itis essential toattend these meetings. |nclosing,the next Governance Work Group Meeting isJuly 14from I0AK8to, 1PM atthe Willows City [buncHChannber. VVestrongly encourage you tuattend. Please RSVP by June 30th to Lisa Hunter at 530-934-6501 or at lhunter@countvofglenn.ne Sincerely, Lisa Hunter 72QNorth,[4|uyaStreet Willows, CA95988 530-934-6501