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GSP Updates

Local Groundwater Plans Receive Green Light from State

Groundwater managers in the Kings Subbasin recently received positive news from the State that their Groundwater Sustainability Plans (GSPs) were approved. “The Department of Water Resources approval of the GSP is a huge milestone for our groundwater sustainability agency,” stated Fresno County grower and North Fork Kings Groundwater Sustainability Agency Board Chair Mark McKean. “It allows us to continue our local efforts to bring our groundwater into balance without State intervention.” The North Fork Kings GSA is one of seven Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSAs) within the Kings Subbasin located in Fresno County that received approval from the State.

GSPs are technical documents that can be hundreds of pages long but are, in simple terms, roadmaps on how to sustainability manage groundwater subbasins. “We appreciate the Department of Water Resources thorough review of our GSP, their approval, and their professional insight on how to improve our GSP,” stated North Fork Kings GSA General Manager Justin Mendes. “With the approval behind us, our energy is focused on executing groundwater projects that achieve the best results for our residents, landowners, and businesses who are users of our groundwater supply.” The North Fork Kings GSA is advancing several groundwater sustainability efforts including partnering with Fresno County on the construction of a recharge basin, developing a well mitigation program, and registering landowner wells. Each of these efforts are pieces of a puzzle to solve the groundwater overdraft under the North Fork Kings area.

Of the 12 subbasins reviewed by the Department of Water Resources (DWR), six were approved and six were not. Those subbasins not approved will now be under the jurisdiction of the State Water Resources Control Board. For the North Fork Kings GSA, the next check in with DWR will be in 2025. At that time, DWR will review the North Fork Kings update to the GSP and the work accomplished toward sustainability.

Kings Subbasin Builds for Drought Resilience at Record Pace

15 basins representing 600 acres of prime groundwater recharge land with a singular goal of groundwater sustainability

Click here to view the StoryMap outlining project details, locations, and more, and to view the highlight video.

In the short span of two years, the Kings Subbasin Groundwater Sustainability Agencies, including the North Fork Kings GSA, have invested in 600 acres of prime groundwater recharge land. This land represents 15 dedicated basins that are constructed or in development.

Local water managers have taken the long view as they invest in infrastructure now with the goal to bring sustainability to the groundwater supply shared by all within the Kings Subbasin region.

The additional water infrastructure is anticipated to provide over 15,000 acre-feet of recharge per year on average, directly benefitting groundwater levels for communities and ag lands in the area. An acre foot equals 325,900 gallons, or enough water to cover a football field to a depth of one foot.


View Full StoryMap

Project highlights, videos, locations, and more.

StoryMap


Since the Kings Subbasin submitted seven Groundwater Sustainability Plan Plans (GSP) in January 2020, there has been a driven effort to successfully build groundwater recharge capacity to support Kings Subbasin sustainability goals.

The North Fork Kings GSA has worked diligently alongside its subbasin neighbors to contribute to these efforts. Since GSP adoption, member agency Laguna Irrigation District (ID) has expanded and improved its existing Basin 11 project. Cooperation with water districts like Laguna ID and local landowners has catalyzed construction on several additional projects that in total will bring over 7,000 acre-feet of increased recharge capacity to the area.

Laguna Irrigation District Basin 11 Improvement & Expansion Completed

The Laguna Irrigation District Basin 11 Improvement project consisted of the development of a groundwater recharge basin on a 52-acre site using Kings River floodwater as the primary water source.

This project increased conveyance capacity of the Liberty Canal, constructed a basin with exterior levees, a settling channel, a check structure and headworks to divert water, and installed flow meters and monitoring wells. The project was recently improved through excavation to increase water infiltration resulting in more water being recharged.

The Basin 11 Expansion Project was completed in 2019, adding 38 acres to the project.

Terra Linda Fruit Avenue Recharge Project Completed

The recently completed Terra Linda Fruit Avenue Recharge project is an 80-acre Landowner Project within the Liberty Mill Race Company service area of the North Fork Kings GSA. The project included construction of above ground levees and installation of headworks and structures for three lift pumps. A generator backup, to keep water flowing in the event of power outage, will soon be installed.

All surface waters for the project will be supplied by Liberty Mill Race Company in the form of its Pre-1914 water supply during flood events.

The North Fork Kings GSA will continue to implement innovative projects that will lead to a resilient supply of groundwater in the region while working to keep groundwater management local.

Everything you need to know about Water Year 2020: Kings Subbasin Annual Report update

The North Fork Kings GSA (NFKGSA), together with the six other GSAs in the Kings Subbasin, submitted the second Annual Report to the CA Department of Water Resources (DWR) by the April 1, 2021 deadline.  Dryer conditions in water year 2020 (Sept 2019 – Oct 2020) strained groundwater supplies across the Kings Subbasin, evidence that cooperation among groundwater users and strategic surface supply management will be critical to achieving sustainability by 2040.

The Annual Report includes an overview of groundwater conditions in the region including groundwater extraction, surface water supply available for groundwater recharge, total water use, change in groundwater storage, and a description of progress made toward implementing the Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP) since the last Annual Report.

The Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) requires Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSAs) to submit annual reports to the Department of Water Resources (DWR) on April 1 of every year.

Here are highlights from the Kings Subbasin’s 2020 Water Year:

  • Water years 2017-2019 were overall wetter than average but were preceded by an extremely dry period.  Overall, the last five years result in near average conditions, but they include an extreme dry and an extreme wet year.
  • Water use for Water Year 2020 consisted of 1,353,000 acre-feet of groundwater and 958,000 of surface water. Total water use for Water Year 2020 (WY 2020) equaled 2,311,000 acre-feet, with 2,011,000 acre-feet of the total used for agricultural purposes and 300,000 for urban use.

Click HERE to read full Annual Report.

The Kings Subbasin saw improvements in groundwater storage in the 2019, but dryer conditions in 2020 led to the reduction observed in this year’s Annual Report. In light of the Annual Report, the North Fork Kings GSA is taking the opportunity to develop and execute the best strategy to achieve sustainability and secure water supply for its landowners and stakeholders. Projects efforts to date that will help provide a groundwater supply buffer for landowners to use during the dryer years include:

Development of a Groundwater Banking Policy that outlines parameters for landowner groundwater banking projects within the jurisdiction of the North Fork Kings GSA. The policy’s objectives include improving groundwater conditions, increasing water supplies, assisting in meeting Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP) objectives, providing flexibility to landowners, and ensuring no negative impacts to overlying owners.

Installation of a multi-completion monitor well through the Department of Water Resources Technical Support Services program. This well will increase data capacity and monitor sustainability progress to ensure NFKGSA is achieving its mitigation targets.

Completion of the Basin 11 Improvement and Expansion Project. The project consisted of the development of a groundwater recharge basin on a 52-acre site using Kings River floodwater as the primary water source. This basin improved conveyance capacity of the Liberty Canal by constructing a turnout and check structure, flow meters, a basin with exterior levees, a settling pond, an outlet to Murphy Slough, and monitoring wells.

Completion of the Terra Linda Recharge project. The project consists of a percolation basin located south of the Mendota Pool and adjacent to the Fresno Slough. This project decreased groundwater salinity levels to benefit domestic wells and the City of Mendota.

Progress on the Laton North Recharge Project. The purpose of this project is to utilize excess surface water for groundwater recharge by diverting water from Cole Slough, a distributary of the Kings River, into a groundwater recharge basin during wet years. The proposed project will involve the construction of a groundwater recharge basin and maintenance of an existing inlet structure to accommodate an additional 36″ mainline pipe. The project would utilize gravitational flows and would not require electricity or permanent on-site personnel to operate. All surface waters for the project will be supplied by Laguna Irrigation District in the form of its Pre-1914 water supply during flood events.

NFKGSA will continue to implement innovative projects that will lead to a sustainable, resilient, and steadfast supply of groundwater for the region. To receive updates on these projects and more, groundwater conditions, and other ways to get involved with the work NFKGSA is doing, sign up for our E-Updates and visit our website at northforkkings.org.

Board Reappoints Rural Community Advisory Committee Members

At the September 23 Board Meeting, the North Fork Kings GSA Board reappointed five members to the Rural Community Advisory Committee (RCAC). The purpose of the RCAC is to represent the interests of rural communities. The RCAC members will assist the Board in providing input, information, and recommendations regarding the sustainable management of groundwater in the North Fork Kings GSA area.

The following RCAC members were reappointed to the committee: Jim Petty from the community of Riverdale; Amanda Monaco from Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability; Angel Hernandez from the community of Lanare; Andrew Zonneveld from Zonneveld Dairies; and Isabel Solorio from the community of Lanare.

The committee members serve at the pleasure of the board and shall include, but not be limited to, representatives of domestic well owners, municipal well operators, local land use planning agencies, residents served by a public water system that serves 200 or more connections, residents served by a small community water system, residents served by a public water system that serves fewer than 200 connections, and environmental justice organizations or community benefit organizations with demonstrated experience working with disadvantaged communities and with expertise in drinking water, groundwater, or land use.

In addition to the reappointments, the Board also took action to approve the development of a community outreach flyer to encourage residents in the communities of Laton, Riverdale and Lanare to become more involved in the NFKGSA meetings and activities.

Rural Community Advisory Committee Applications Available

The NFKGSA Board is requesting applications for those who would like to serve on the Rural Community Advisory Committee (RCAC). The purpose of the Committee is to represent the interests of rural communities. The Committee will assist the Board in providing input, information, and recommendations regarding the sustainable management of groundwater in the North Fork Kings GSA area.

The committee members shall serve at the pleasure of the Board and shall include, but not be limited to, representatives of domestic well owners, municipal well operators, local land use planning agencies, residents served by a public water system that serves 200 or more connections, residents served by a small community water system, residents served by a public water system that serves fewer than 200 connections, and environmental justice organizations or community benefit organizations with demonstrated experience working with disadvantaged communities and with expertise in drinking water, groundwater, or land use.

For more information go to NFKGSA Rural Community Advisory Committee webpage.

 

 

North Fork Kings GSA joins regional agreement to monitor land subsidence

At the July 22nd Board Meeting, the North Fork Kings GSA approved a cost-sharing agreement between Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSAs) in both the Kings and Tulare Lake Subbasins for subsidence monitoring. The Kings River Conservation District (KRCD), a regional special district with diverse water resources management roles, proposed the agreement to support the Subbasins’ monitoring efforts under the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA).

Because declining groundwater levels can cause surface elevations to lower, subsidence is an indicator of groundwater sustainability under SGMA. Over time subsidence may lead to what SGMA terms an “undesirable result”, for example damage to infrastructure like canals or roadways. Consistent monitoring across the region is key to preventing significant rates of subsidence from causing undesirable results.

The cooperative agreement approved by the North Fork Kings GSA provides funding to increase both the magnitude and frequency of KRCD’s subsidence monitoring program. Established in 2010 with surveys conducted every 2-5 years at 125 monuments, the current monitoring is too infrequent to meet SGMA’s needs for reporting on subsidence conditions and critical data gaps exist in the network. The agreement will allow KRCD to conduct surveys annually and establish an additional 71 network monuments that fill known data gaps.

Subsidence data collected by KRCD over the years was used in the development of the North Fork Kings GSA’s Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP) and has been referenced by GSAs as a source for mandatory SGMA reporting to the State. Cooperating with KRCD and the GSAs is a cost-effective solution to bring robust data to the table for successful groundwater management.

The agreement outlines cost-sharing of 8% between eleven GSAs in the two subbasins, while KRCD will contribute 12% to the overall cost. The cost for 2020 monitoring is estimated in the agreement not to exceed $30,000. The South Fork Kings GSA and Southwest Kings GSA, both located in the Tulare Lake Subbasin, have approved the agreement. The remaining GSAs are currently considering approval.

Annual Report Submitted to the State, First of Many on Kings Subbasin Groundwater Conditions

The North Fork Kings GSA together with the six other GSAs in the Kings Subbasin submitted the first Annual Report to the CA Department of Water Resources (DWR) on April 1, 2020. A requirement under the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), the Annual Report serves to inform and update both the State and stakeholders in the Kings Subbasin on groundwater conditions and sustainability progress. Thanks to favorable hydrology for the reporting period, Kings Subbasin groundwater conditions improved overall with storage increasing by 210,000 acre-feet Subbasin wide.

The report indicates groundwater extractions in the North Fork Kings GSA represent an estimated 17% of total 1.06 million acre-feet extractions in the Subbasin. Irrigation Districts and landowners alike in the North Fork Kings GSA took every opportunity to capitalize on available surplus surface water supplies, capturing Kings River water during flood releases to recharge in basins or use on farms, offsetting groundwater use. The Annual Report focuses on water year 2019 (Sept 2018 – Oct 2019), a hydrologic “wet year” seeing 134% of average diversions on the Kings River, the majority of surface water supply to the region.

The North Fork Kings GSA plans to expand its groundwater recharge capacity at both the landowner and agency level to take advantage of similar wet hydrology in future years. Partnering with landowners to implement on-farm recharge practices, constructing recharge basins, and expanding existing recharge facilities are all strategies outlined to achieve a sustainable groundwater supply. The combined efforts of the North Fork Kings GSA and six other cooperating Kings Subbasin GSAs will ultimately lead the region to long-term sustainability.

The data for the report was collected from the seven GSAs’ monitoring networks, groundwater extractions, surface water supply, total water use, and changes in groundwater storage. Combined surface and groundwater use in the Kings Subbasin across sectors including agriculture, urban, and managed recharge totaled 2.7 million are-feet for the period.

Considering this first report was prepared just months after the submission of the Groundwater Sustainability Plans (GSPs), the data does not stray from data already included in the seven Kings Subbasin GSAs’ GSPs. Although the Subbasin used the opportunity to include any additional data collected through the reporting period and established a template for future reports.

The North Fork Kings GSA adopted its GSP on December 18, 2019, marking the transition from the planning to implementation phase. Following the adoption of a Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP) SGMA requires GSAs to submit annual reports to DWR on April 1 every year as a tool to track and communicate GSP implementation progress.

There is no grading or scoring criteria on the Annual Report, and DWR expects this first report to be missing some information considering the short timeframe between GSP adoption and the report due date.

After Two Years, Groundwater Plan Adopted, Implementation Begins 2020

Left to Right: Supervisor Mendes, Fresno County; Frank Zonneveld, Laguna Irrigation District; Danielle Roberts, Lanare CSD;
Mark McKean, Crescent Canal Co.; Stephen Maddox, Liberty Mill Race Co.; Leonard Acquistapace, Riverdale Irrigation District

Riverdale, CA – The North Fork Kings Groundwater Sustainability Agency (NFKGSA) Board unanimously adopted their Groundwater Sustainability Plan at the December 18 meeting. NFKGSA’s Board is proposing a phased approach over 20 years to mitigate the target overdraft of 59,000 acre feet per year, NFKGSA’s allocation of the Kings Subbasin total annual overdraft of 122,000 acre feet. Board Chair Mark McKean thanked the plan developer Provost & Pritchard, staff and the Board for all of their work over the last two years. “This Plan is a living document,” stated McKean. “We realize it isn’t a perfect document but a building block and in five years we will have a better Plan than we have today by working together.”

The NFKGSA will use the Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP) as a roadmap to balance its groundwater.  The GSP includes potential policies and projects that will impact groundwater management in the region for years to come as the North Fork Kings GSA works to achieve sustainable groundwater supply. Technical consultant Provost & Pritchard worked over the last two years collecting data that documents historic and current groundwater conditions; the GSP uses this information as the foundation to define a path forward for how groundwater will be managed. The overdraft can be balanced using both supply-side and demand-side solutions. The toolkit of projects and management actions will include both, but the NFKGSA Board plans to prioritize supply-side solutions including floodwater capture for groundwater recharge.

NFKGSA is the one of seven groundwater sustainability agencies that will coordinate to achieve sustainability in the King Subbasin, a critically overdrafted groundwater basin that lies within Fresno County. Once all seven groundwater sustainability agencies adopt their plans, they will be submitted together with a coordination agreement to the State prior to the deadline of January 31, 2020. 

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