Groundwater

Humboldt County Public Works is coordinating the local response to the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, which was signed by Governor Brown in September 2014. The legislation applies to groundwater basins designated as medium- or high-priority by the California Department of Water Resources. In June 2014, DWR designated one medium-priority basin (Eel River Valley) and no high-priority basins in Humboldt County. In May 2018, DWR released draft basin prioritization results which identified Eel River Valley and Mad River Valley-Mad River Lowland as medium-priority basins. The public comment period ended on August 20, and the final prioritizations are expected to be released in November.

Basin Prioritization

• DWR Basin Prioritization Webpage
• Humboldt County Comment Letter (August 20, 2018) for Eel River Valley
• Humboldt County Comment Letter (August 20, 2018) for Mad River Valley-Mad River Lowland

Eel River Valley Groundwater Working Group

The Eel River Valley Groundwater Working Group was convened in October 2015 to guide the local response to the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act. The purpose of the Working Group, as revised on September 12, 2016, is to:

1. Provide information and viewpoints regarding groundwater issues in the Eel River Valley.
2. Support the collection and analysis of technical data and information to understand conditions and trends.
3. Discuss selection and formation of a Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA), if applicable.
4. Discuss the framework and sustainable management criteria for an Alternative Submittal or future Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP).

Scope: The scope of the Working Group is limited to the Eel River Valley.

Eel River Valley Groundwater Basin Groundwater Sustainability Plan Alternative Submittal

On December 30, 2016 the Humboldt County Public Works Department submitted a Groundwater Sustainability Plan Alternative to the Department of Water Resources. The following documents were included in the submittal packet:

• Groundwater Sustainability Plan Alternative December 2016 (PDF 442 KB)
• Groundwater Sustainability Plan Alternative Appendices (PDF 80.5 MB)
• Groundwater Sustainability Plan Alternative Figures (PDF 52.3 MB)
• Groundwater Sustainability Plan Alternative Figures reduced file size (PDF 17.1 MB)

The submittal packet can also be found on the Department of Water Resources Alternative Reporting System website.

A total of 18 Groundwater Sustainability Plan Alternatives were submitted across the state. The Department of Water Resources expects to complete their review by Fall 2018.

• Annual Report – Water Year 2017 (October 1, 2016 to September 30, 2017) (PDF 33.3 MB)
• Annual Report – Water Year 2018 (October 1, 2017 to September 30, 2018) (PDF 7.3 MB)

Meetings

• February 24, 2015: Staff Report and Presentation to the Board of Supervisors.
• April 27, 2015: Workshop on groundwater in the Eel River Valley (Workshop Announcement, Presentation, and Summary).
• May 20, 2015: Presentation to the Eel River Forum.
• October 6, 2015: Staff Report to the Board of Supervisors.
• October 21, 2015: First Working Group meeting (Agenda and Meeting Materials and Minutes).
• December 14, 2015: Second Working Group meeting (Agenda and Meeting Materials and Minutes).
• February 22, 2016: Third Working Group meeting (Agenda and Meeting Materials and Minutes).
• April 25, 2016: Fourth Working Group meeting (Agenda and Meeting Materials and Minutes).
• September 12, 2016: Fifth Working Group meeting (Agenda and Meeting Materials and Minutes).
• November 7, 2016: Sixth Working Group meeting (Agenda and Meeting Materials and Minutes).
• December 2, 2016: Seventh Working Group meeting (Agenda and Meeting Materials and Minutes).
• December 13, 2016: Humboldt County Board of Supervisors Agenda Item to adopt a resolution authorizing Public Works to submit a Groundwater Sustainability Plan Alternative.
• December 20, 2016: Eighth Working Group meeting (Agenda and Meeting Materials and Minutes)
• March 22, 2017: Presentation to the Eel River Forum.
• May 3, 2018: Presentation to the Humboldt County Farm Bureau.
• June 21, 2018: Ninth Working Group meeting (Meeting Materials)
• All meetings take place at the University of California Cooperative Extension office located at 5630 South Broadway, Eureka, CA.

To put your name on the contact list, send an e-mail to Robert Vogt.