REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL
October 13, 2016
FROM: THOMAS C. ESQUEDA, Director
Department of Public Utilities
SUBJECT
Title
Approve an agreement establishing and joining the North Kings Groundwater Sustainability Agency, a Joint Powers Authority.
Body
RECOMMENDATION
The Administration recommends that the Fresno City Council approve an agreement establishing and joining a Joint Powers Authority, the North Kings Groundwater Sustainability Agency (NKGSA).
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
On September 14, 2014, the Governor of California signed into law three bills collectively referred to as the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA). To comply with the SGMA, the City of Fresno must either establish itself as a groundwater sustainability agency (GSA) with jurisdiction over its municipal corporate limit boundary, or the City may join with other local public agencies to form a larger GSA with a broader geographic boundary. The deadline for forming a GSA is June 30, 2017.
The City of Fresno's municipal corporate limits and sphere-of-influence are located entirely within the boundaries of one groundwater basin - designated by the Department of Water Resources as the "Kings Sub-Basin" (Sub-Basin Number 5-22.08) of the greater "San Joaquin Valley Basin" (Basin Number 5-22). Attachment 1 illustrates the boundaries for sub-basins within the San Joaquin Valley Basin.
Within a portion of the Kings Sub-Basin, a group of water supply agencies and local governments, generally located within the boundaries of Fresno Irrigation District's service area, have worked together to craft an agreement establishing the North Kings Groundwater Sustainability Agency (NKGSA), which will be a Joint Powers Authority (JPA) created to serve as a GSA in accordance with the SGMA.
This is a time-sensitive matter, and the Administration recommends Council approve this agreement which establishes the NKGSA as a JPA, and that the City will be a member of the NKGSA.
BACKGROUND
SGMA recognizes...
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