Martis Valley Groundwater Management Update

At the December 5 meeting of the Placer County Water Agency (PCWA) Board of Directors, the Board approved an alternative submittal for the Martis Valley Groundwater Basin to comply with the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA).

If approved by California Department of Water Resources, this alternative submittal meets requirements for local agencies to achieve sustainable groundwater management under legislation enacted in 2014.

Normally, SGMA requires public agencies to form a groundwater sustainability agency and adopt a groundwater sustainability plan for a basin, but the Martis Valley Groundwater Basin is eligible for an alternative submittal based on a 10-year history of operating within a sustainable yield.

"The ability to use the alternative submittal for the Martis Valley reflects the region's rich water supplies and proactive groundwater management," General Manager Einar Maisch said. "It also allows regional groundwater managers to avoid the high costs of preparing a groundwater sustainability plan and forming another groundwater agency. The Martis Valley Groundwater Basin is an ideal candidate."

PCWA joined Placer County, Nevada County, the Town of Truckee, the Northstar Community Services District, and the Truckee Donner Public Utility District, who led the effort, in preparing the Martis Valley alternative submittal. All agencies plan to enter into a Memorandum of Agreement, which the PCWA Board also approved, to meet requirements of the law. A management committee of all member agencies will coordinate collaborative activities such as collecting and assembling data towards the preparation of annual reports. 

In other news, the Board:

• Received a report from Placer County staff on the Sunset Area Plan.  PCWA staff is working closely with Placer County staff to ensure the availability of adequate water infrastructure to serve the Sunset Area and other areas within western Placer County.  
• Nominated and elected District 4 Director, Robert Dugan, as the 2017 Board Chair, and District 5 Director, Joshua Alpine, as the 2017 Vice Chair.

PCWA board meetings are open to the public.

For information on PCWA board meetings, please contact the Clerk to the Board at (530) 823-4850 or (800) 464-0030.