1. www.sonomacountywater.org Santa Rosa Plain Groundwater Management Planning Update Fall 2013

2. Briefing Purpose Provide an overview and status update on groundwater planning activities. Solicit feedback on the process, information available to date, ideas for management activities and opportunities to improve groundwater resources in the Santa Rosa Plain Watershed.

3. Background 2009 – Stakeholder Assessment 2010 – Steering committee recommends developing non-regulatory Groundwater Management Plan after evaluating management options and soliciting input through public forums 2011 – Funding for development of a Groundwater Management Plan obtained through grant from California Department of Water Resources and agreement between Water Agency and local partners December 2011 – Convened Basin Advisory Panel to Initiate Discussions for GMP Development (15 meetings through October 2013) July 2013 – USGS publishes Groundwater Study of Santa Rosa Plain Watershed (Part 1)

4. Basin Advisory Panel Meetings Discussion Topics 15 Meetings December 2011 through October 2013: Panel Charter Groundwater Issues and Interests Groundwater Management & Groundwater Basics Groundwater Legal and Institutional Issues Plan Boundary USGS Groundwater and Climate Change Studies & Modeling Governance Proposal and Lead Agency DRAFT Goals & Objectives Groundwater Monitoring Program Framework Formed Technical Advisory Committee (initial meeting August 2012) Land Use Planning Water Quality DRAFT Management Components

5. Proposed Governance Structure for GMP Implementation Basin Advisory Panel – Develops plan and guides implementation – Remain in existence as long as Plan is being implemented – Collaborative structure made up of members representing the following stakeholder interests Groundwater users (business, agriculture, residential and governmental) Economic interests Government (tribal, county and cities) Water providers Environmental and community organizations Lead Agency (Water Agency selected by Panel) – Responsible for adopting, implementing and garnering funding for the Plan consistent with the Water Code and Panel consensus Technical Advisory Committee – Advises on technical matters and develops recommendations for Panel consideration

6. Area Proposed for Groundwater Management Plan Santa Rosa Plain Watershed (Plan Area) includes:  Santa Rosa Plain Sub-basin  Rincon Valley Sub-basin  Wilson Grove Formation basin (portion)  Kenwood Valley basin (portion)  Alexander Area Sub-basin (portion)  Upland areas not state- identified groundwater basins

7. USGS Santa Rosa Plain Groundwater Study – July 2013 7-Year Study Characterizing Groundwater Conditions Setting and Geology Climate and Surface Water Hydrology Groundwater Recharge and Discharge Groundwater Level Trends Groundwater Quality Conceptual Model Serves as scientific foundation for management planning Ongoing scope includes development of fully-coupled surface water and groundwater flow model to be completed in January 2014

8. Water Resources – to describe groundwater conditions, water demands & supplies Goals and Objectives – to manage the groundwater basin Management Components – to achieve progress on the goals and objectives Implementation – to prioritize recommended actions and identify a schedule and funding Groundwater Management Plan Elements

9. Draft Developed by the Basin Advisory Panel Objectives: Stakeholder Involvement and Public Awareness Monitoring and Modeling Groundwater Protection and Recharge Conservation and Efficiency Water Reuse Integrated Water Planning and Management Refining based on stakeholder input Draft Plan Goals & Objectives

10. Stakeholder Involvement – meetings on implementation, briefings, public outreach Monitoring Program and Modeling – necessary for tracking progress and making decisions Increase Conservation and Efficiency– reduces demands and stresses on groundwater Draft Management Components Primary Monitoring Program Elements  Groundwater-Levels (not pumping amounts)  Groundwater Quality  Inelastic Land Surface Subsidence  Surface Water-Groundwater Interaction  Hydro-Meteorological

11. Groundwater Protection– maintaining quantity and quality, protecting recharge areas Increase Groundwater Recharge– infiltration of local stormwater or groundwater banking with Russian River drinking water Increase Water Reuse– increase use of recycled water for irrigation to offset groundwater demands Integrated Groundwater Management– fostering collaboration of existing organizations on climate change planning, multiple- benefit actions, and land use planning Draft Management Components

12. Basin Advisory Panel Future Meetings Additional Planned Efforts through June 2014: Refine Groundwater Management Components Prioritization of Recommended Actions Implementation and Funding Constituent Briefings Monitoring Program Refinement Integrate USGS Model Report (water budget and future climate scenarios) due in January 2014 Public Outreach and Forums Prepare and Recommend Plan for Adoption

13. Questions? http://www.scwa.ca.gov/srgroundwater/