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Eel River Valley Groundwater Basin
Groundwater Sustainability Plan Timeline
September 16, 2014, Governor Jerry Brown signed into law a three-bill legislative package, composed of AB 1739 (Dickinson) for California Law Libraries for California Law Libraries for California Law Libraries , SB 1168 (Pavley) for California Law Libraries for California Law Libraries for California Law Libraries , and SB 1319 (Pavley) for California Law Libraries for California Law Libraries for California Law Libraries , collectively known as the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA for California Law Libraries for California Law Libraries for California Law Libraries ).
January 1, 2015, the California Department of Water Resources designated the Eel River Valley groundwater basin as a medium-priority basin.
October 6, 2015, the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors approved the formation of an Eel River Valley Groundwater Working Group consisting of stakeholders representing agricultural, municipal and environmental interests to provide input regarding the local response to California Department of Water Resource's designation of the Eel River Valley groundwater basin as a medium-priority basin.
December 13, 2016, the Board approved Resolution No. 16-142 authorizing the Humboldt County Department of Public Works to submit a Groundwater Sustainability Plan Alternative for the Eel River Valley groundwater basin.
Alternative Analysis was disapproved November 13, 2019 by California Department of Water Resources.
County continued to perform annual monitoring and reporting activities for the groundwater basin following the Groundwater Sustainability Plan Alternative submittal.
2018 Sustainable Groundwater Management Act Basin Prioritization process, California Department of Water Resources renewed its designation of the Eel River Valley groundwater basin as a medium-priority basin.
Eel River Valley Groundwater Working Group supported the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors becoming the Groundwater Sustainability Agency for the Eel River Valley groundwater basin.
Humboldt County Board of Supervisors adopted Resolution 20-39 authorizing formation of the Humboldt County Groundwater Sustainability Agency for the Eel River Valley groundwater basin.
Execution of the grant agreement from California Department of Water Resources to support development of the Eel River Valley Groundwater Sustainability Plan.
Develop the Stakeholder Communications and Engagement Plan to outline communication efforts for the Eel River Valley Groundwater Sustainability Plan development and implementation phases.
Development of the Eel River Valley Groundwater Sustainability Plan while working with stakeholders for feedback and input.
Submit Humboldt County Groundwater Sustainability Agency approved Eel River Valley Groundwater Sustainability Plan to California Department of Water Resources on or before January 31, 2022.
The Humboldt County Groundwater Sustainability Agency will be responsible for implementing the Eel River Groundwater Sustainability Plan after it is submitted to California Department of Water Resources on or before January 31, 2022.
If it is determined that the basin is being managed sustainably, the agency will need to perform annual monitoring to verify that sustainability is being maintained.
If it is determined that undesirable results exist, then projects and/or management actions would need to be developed according to a specified timeline.
California Department of Water Resources will hold a 60-day review and comment period for stakeholders. DWR will begin review of the Eel River Valley Groundwater Sustainability Plan and provide an evaluation to Humboldt County Groundwater Sustainability Agency within 2 years.
Groundwater Sustainability Plan Purpose
The purpose of the Groundwater Sustainability Plan is to ensure high quality and abundant groundwater resources for human consumption, agricultural irrigation, and environmental services without causing significant and unreasonable adverse impacts (undesirable results). The work to develop the plan includes data collection and analysis to characterize the groundwater basin (including interactions with surface waters), develop reliable estimates of water budgets, and quantify the sustainable yield. This work will create computer modeling tools to investigate the presence or absence of undesirable results associated with groundwater pumping and support the development of sustainable management criteria.
Basin Background
The Eel River Valley groundwater basin is adjacent to the Pacific Ocean in Humboldt County, California, and experiences a cool maritime climate and substantial winter precipitation. The basin boundary encompasses approximately 72,957 acres and 21,558 residents, with nearly half of this population residing within the City of Fortuna. In addition to agriculture and timber resources, the City of Fortuna, the City of Ferndale, the City of Rio Dell, and the unincorporated communities of Loleta, Carlotta, Hydesville, and Scotia occupy the basin. The Eel River Valley Groundwater Basin contains five (5) census designated places which are recognized by California Department of Water Resources as Economically Distressed Areas: Ferndale, Loleta, Fortuna, Scotia, and Rio Dell.
Groundwater is supplied for general household use, agriculture production, and industrial or business use. Groundwater suppliers in the basin include: private domestic and agricultural wells, municipal wells, and public water systems. The basin is bisected by the main stem Eel River and its tributary, the Van Duzen River, both of which provide habitat for anadromous salmonids and other fish and aquatic species. The coastal basin discharges to the Pacific Ocean near Loleta. Tidal influences have been recorded in Eel River water studies up to five miles upstream of the river mouth (SHN, 2019). A study performed in 2016 by the Humboldt County Resource Conservation District, and included in the Eel River Valley Basin Eel River Valley Groundwater Sustainability Plan Alternative Submittal found on the Resources tab, estimated that approximately 13,558 acres of agricultural lands were irrigated using groundwater, of which more than 85% was applied to grazed pasture or hay crop production for livestock. Other common basin crop types include corn, quinoa, and cannabis.
The basin provides for multi-use opportunities for outdoor recreational enthusiasts.
Eel River Basin Map
The image above shows the Eel River watershed boundary (purple) across Humboldt, Trinity, Mendocino, Glen, and Lake Counties. The branches of the Eel River and its tributaries are shown by the blue lines. The Eel – Russian River basin divide is shown by the red line. The Eel River Valley basin is located entirely within Humboldt County, highlighted in light blue.
Eel River Valley Water Suppliers Map
The map above shows the boundaries of the various municipal water suppliers within the Eel River groundwater basin.