How OCWD Plans to Comply with SGMA

Or Are We Already There?

Roy Herndon

Orange County Water District

ASCE OC Branch and Environment & Water Resources Institute OC Chapter, 4-7-16

Coastal Plain of

Orange County

Groundwater Basin

SGMA requires all 127 high and medium priority basins

to be managed – the OC Basin is medium priority.

Formed in 1933 by legislative act

Manage the groundwater basin under North OC

Replenish aquifers

Control seawater intrusion

Protect & improve groundwater quality

Orange County

Water District

19 Major Retail

Water Agencies

~70% of northern OC’s water supply

2.4 million people

200 large-capacity wells

300,000 af/yrproduction

Unadjudicated

Orange County

Groundwater Basin(within OCWD)

1,0

00

s o

f A

cre

-Fe

etThe OC Basin has been sustainably managed with an established storage operating range.

AvailableStorage

1969 1974 1979 1984 1989 1994 1999 2004 2009 2014

0

100

200

400

300

500

Operating Range

OCWD is one of 15 special act districts listed in SGMA as

“exclusive local agencies” within their statutory boundaries.

Alameda County Flood Control and Water Conservation District, Zone 7

Alameda County Water District

Desert Water Agency

Fox Canyon Groundwater Management Agency

Honey Lake Valley Groundwater Management District

Long Valley Groundwater Management District

Mendocino City Community Services District

Mono County Tri-Valley Groundwater Management District

Monterey Peninsula Water Management District

Ojai Groundwater Management Agency

Orange County Water District

Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency

Santa Clara Valley Water District

Sierra Valley Groundwater Management District

Willow Creek Groundwater Management Agency

This affords OCWD the option to submit an

Alternative Plan which is our preference.

• Avoids OCWD having to become a GSA and develop a GSP

• OCWD already has an effective groundwater management

plan and system through the OCWD Act

• Avoids interference with La Habra/Brea, Corona or others

planning to form a GSA now or in the future.

• Avoids need to create GSAs in areas with minimal

groundwater resources or activities, e.g., fringe areas.

• Updated Alternative Plans are required every 5 years.

Expected components of an OCWD Alternative Plan:

• OCWD 2015 Groundwater Mgmt. Plan

• Cover document explaining functional

equivalence with substantive req’ts of SGMA

• Tech memos and agreements with agencies

covering areas outside OCWD

• Due Jan. 1, 2017

SGMA requires

a plan or plans

that cover the

entire basin.

Several areas

fall outside

OCWD’s

boundary.

OCWD must

develop

Agreements

with 12

agencies

covering

management

of these areas.

OCWD Area

89%

(light blue)

Suggested Alternative Plan Approach

• Goal: One integrated plan for entire basin (per SGMA)

• OCWD jurisdiction stays within its boundaries

• For areas outside OCWD:

– La Habra and Corona have proposed to become GSAs

– Develop interagency agreements

– Define agency responsibilities, e.g., monitoring/reporting

– Define management objectives

– Prepare tech memos describing management programs

and how integrated into a single basin plan

OCWD’s sustainability track record and existing authority

should avoid the need for a costly and time-consuming GSP.

Managed pumping and recharge (no chronic storage depletion)

Managed groundwater levels

Seawater intrusion is controlled and monitored

No long-term land subsidence

Water quality threats are localized and monitored

No surface water depletion impacts to beneficial uses

Thank You

OCWD has a range of options to manage basin storage

within the established operating range:

Short Term

• Last year expanded GWRS to produce add’l 30,000 AFY

(10% of total demand)

• Purchase add’l imported replenishment water while

maintaining pumping

Long Term

• Final GWRS Expansion

• HB Desalination

• MWD Recycled Water