Documenter: Josef Sibala
Here’s what you need to know:
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General Manager Osterling is working with staff on the Statewide Airborne Electromagnetic Survey (AEM) by focusing on the South Valley, giving proposed flight lines, allowing additional coverage, collecting data on subsidence.
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Since it was unsuccessful in getting the Bureau of Reclamation Planning Grant, San Joaquin Valley Water Blueprint sought to apply for other types of grants. The Water Blueprint faced staff turnovers and had a new project manager.
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On the Proposition 68 planning and implementation grants, General Manager Osterling reported that Fresno State continues its work on a draft technical memo regarding metering.
The Scene
According to its website, The Greater Kaweah Groundwater Sustainability Agency (Greater) was formed with the intent to comply with the 2014 Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) and initiated their effort by executing a Joint Powers Agreement (JPA) on August 23, 2016.
The Greater became an “exclusive” GSA for the California Department of Water Resources area in August 2017. The JPA members and partners consist of Kaweah Delta Water Conservation District, Kings County Water District, Lakeside Irrigation Water District, St. Johns Water District, Tulare County, and California Water Service Company
The meeting was held on Monday, August 9, 2021, at 1 p.m. via Zoom.
Officials Present:
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Lakeside Irrigation Water District Director Don Mills
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Director/Vice Chair Chris Tantau
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Kaweah Delta Water Conservation District Director Brian Watte
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County of Tulare Director Pete Vander Poel
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California Water Service Company Director Stephen Johnson
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Kings County Water District Director Ernie Taylor
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St. Johns Water District Director Eric Shannon
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Rural Communities Committee Paul Boyer
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Stakeholder Committee Director Joe Cardoza
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Secretary/General Manager Eric Osterling
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Legal Counsel Aubrey Mauritson
Others Present:
Stacie Ann Silva, Bryant Platt, Matt Klinchuch, Alan Becker, Blake Mauritson, Bryant Platt of California Department of Water Resources, Carl, David Cardoza, Dennis Mills, Geoff Vanden Heuvel, James Silva, Joel Kimmelshue, Johnny Gailey of Delta View Water Association, Mark Larsen, Rhett Anderson, Shawn Corley, Sopac Mulholland, and (559)-731-9774
Discussions/Action
The board unanimously approved the items as follows:
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Minutes of the regular meeting on July 12, 2021.
The next meeting of the Kaweah Subbasin Management Team Committee is August 18, 2021, at 9:00 am and is to be held in person and through Zoom at the City of Visalia Waste Water Treatment Facility.
They will receive a presentation and an update on the model done by Montgomery & Associates, which ties to improving the Water Accounting Framework and any groundwater allocation discussions.
The California Department of Water Resources will review another round of Groundwater Sustainability Plans (GSPs) for January 2021.
General Manager Osterling is working with staff on the Statewide Airborne Electromagnetic Survey (AEM) by focusing on the South Valley, giving proposed flight lines, allowing additional coverage, collecting subsidence data.
Regarding the Water Accounting Framework (WAF), hydrologic model, and groundwater allocation efforts, the managers received a presentation from Montgomery & Associates last week.
They evaluated the hydrologic model, whether it is in comparison with the water budget in the basin study, and gave recommendations.
Since it was unsuccessful in getting the Bureau of Reclamation Planning Grant, the San Joaquin Valley Water Blueprint sought to apply for other types of grants. The Water Blueprint faced staff turnovers and had a new project manager.
On the Regional Conservation Investment Strategies (RCIS) grant, Greater, Mid-Kaweah, and other GSAs discussed the Kaweah Regional Conservation Investment Strategy document in a public meeting on July 21, 2021, at the Tulare Ag Center.
Greater and Mid-Kaweah GSAs raised concerns, including the inability to stop any changes to the plan that the California Department of Fish and Wildlife might want to make, and discussed them with consultants.
On the Proposition 68 planning and implementation grants, General Manager Osterling reported that Fresno State continues its work on a draft technical memo regarding metering.
On the US Bureau of Reclamation’s (USBR) Water Market Planning Grant received by the Tulare Irrigation District, the committee will be meeting on August 11 at 3 pm. A consultant from Stantec will present their scope of work.
The Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) will meet on August 27, 2021, while the Rural Communities Committee (RCC) and Stakeholder Committee (SC) will meet on August 31, 2021, at 1 pm.
Lastly, General Manager Osterling has received monthly data from LandIQ.
Moreover, LandIQ sets up ground base stations for calibration purposes that cover 6 locations in the East Kaweah and other GSAs.
In a closed session, the board discussed the item as follows:
a. Anticipated Litigation [Government Code Section 54956.9 (d) (2)]
Number of Potential Cases: One
The meeting ended at 2:00 pm. The board of directors’ next regular meeting is on Monday, September 13, 2021, at 1:00 pm.
If you believe anything in these notes is inaccurate, please email us at Documenters-admin@thefresnoland.com with “Correction Request” in the subject line.