Stanislaus County leaders could approve groundwater agencies
Last year’s El Niño and the recent pounding rainstorms have not stopped an effort to comply with the state’s groundwater sustainability law, which was hatched in the desperate times of drought.
Tuesday, the Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors could approve agreements to form two agencies for managing a groundwater basin underlying the southern portion of the county and part of Merced County. The board could create the West Turlock Subbasin Groundwater Sustainability Agency and take a second vote to form an agency for the east Turlock subbasin.
The entire groundwater basin lies between the Tuolumne and Merced rivers, east of the San Joaquin River.
The local entities in the west Turlock management agency would be Turlock; Modesto; Ceres; Hughson; Turlock Irrigation District; the Denair and Keyes community services districts; the Delhi, Hilmar and Stevinson water districts; Merced and Stanislaus counties; and Waterford to represent Hickman.
Members of the management agency for the east Turlock subbasin include Turlock, Eastside Water District, Merced Irrigation District, Ballico-Cortez Water District, Merced County and Stanislaus County.
Under a 2014 state law, each agency must have a plan for sustainable groundwater use, though they could develop one plan for the entire basin. Stanislaus County needs to form groundwater sustainability agencies, or GSAs, for three other basins by June 30.
Board of Supervisors watch
The Board of Supervisors will meet at 9 a.m. Tuesday in the basement chambers of Tenth Street Place, 1010 10th St. in Modesto. Other items of business will include:
- Purchase of mail-scanning equipment for detection of illicit substances in the county jail.
- Update on water damage repairs at the Health Services Agency center on Scenic Drive.
- Application for up to $150,000 in funding for boating safety and enforcement.
This story was originally published January 22, 2017 at 4:15 PM with the headline "Stanislaus County leaders could approve groundwater agencies."