Local Agencies Convene a Public Meeting for Local Management of Groundwater: Corning Subbasin

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contacts:

• Corning Subbasin Groundwater Sustainability Agency: Lisa Hunter, Water Resources Coordinator, Glenn County, (530) 934-6501, lhunter@countyofglenn.net
• Tehama County Flood Control and Water Conservation District: Ryan Teubert, Flood Control & Water Resources Manager, (530) 385-1462, rteubert@tcpw.ca.gov

Local Agencies Convene a Public Meeting for Local Management of Groundwater

Corning, California— The public will have an opportunity to learn about the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) and local implementation of this law at a public meeting on Wednesday, November 6^th, 6:00-8:00 PM at the Corning Senior Center, 1015 4^th Avenue, Corning, CA 96021.

SGMA Background

On September 16, 2014, Governor Brown signed into law a legislative package comprised of three bills (Assembly Bill (AB) 1739, Senate Bill (SB) 1168, and SB 1319). These laws are collectively known as the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA). SGMA (pronounced sigma) defines sustainable groundwater management as the “management and use of groundwater in a manner that can be maintained without causing undesirable results.” SGMA requires groundwater basins to be managed under a Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP) and achieve sustainability within 20 years. The State has prioritized 98 basins statewide to comply with this law. The Corning Subbasin, spanning southwestern Tehama County and northern Glenn County, is among the groundwater basins that must comply with SGMA and develop a GSP by January 31, 2022. Local agencies were awarded a nearly $1 million grant to develop a GSP for the Corning Subbasin.

The central purpose of the November 6^th meeting is to inform the public on how the two Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSAs) in the Corning Subbasin will work together to manage local groundwater resources.

Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA) Formation

SGMA requires the formation of locally controlled GSAs. A GSA is responsible for developing and implementing a GSP to meet the sustainability goal of the basin and to ensure that it considers all groundwater uses and users in the basin. SGMA refers to six indicators that need to be addressed to achieve groundwater sustainability. They include: chronic lowering of groundwater levels, significant and unreasonable reduction of groundwater storage, seawater intrusion, degraded water quality, significant land subsidence and depletions of interconnected surface water.

GSA Eligible Agencies in the Corning Subbasin

Under SGMA, local public agencies with water supply, water management or land-use responsibilities are eligible to form GSAs.