Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Water Supply Groundwater topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
City receives NCMA 2024 annual report; groundwater levels above deep-well threshold amid average rainfall
Summary
Arroyo Grande staff presented the Northern Cities Management Area (NCMA) 2024 annual report and a city water-supply update. Total 2024 water use was 7,783 acre-feet; the deep well index averaged about 9.5 feet above sea level, above the 7.5-foot threshold the cities track to guard against seawater intrusion.
Utilities Manager Shane Taylor and Assistant City Manager/Public Works Director Bill Robeson presented the Northern Cities Management Area (NCMA) 2024 annual report and a water-supply update to the council on Aug. 12. Taylor said the report is submitted annually to the Santa Barbara County Superior Court and summarized key monitoring findings for the Santa Maria Groundwater Basin portion known as the NCMA.
Taylor reported 2024 rainfall totaled about 15.42 inches, close to the historical average of 15.6 inches. Total urban and agricultural water use for 2024 was 7,783 acre-feet. He said agricultural rotational crops in the Cienega Valley accounted for roughly 2,307 acre-feet, with strawberries and avocados representing smaller shares. Taylor said about 2,950 acre-feet of the total supply came from groundwater; most deliveries were from Lopez Water and State Water, and the basin showed an overall increase in storage of approximately 530 acre-feet for the year.
Taylor described the monitoring network of coastal and inland wells and said the NCMA deep well index ' an average of three representative deep wells ' has a target minimum of 7.5 feet above sea level. He said July sampling showed the index near 9.5 feet above sea level, roughly two feet above the target, and that managers saw "no detection or even sense" of seawater intrusion at present. Taylor noted a persistent localized pumping depression near the Trilogy/Cypress Ridge area that has existed for about a decade and is "about the same" in recent monitoring.
Council members asked whether the depression was worsening and whether it implicated seawater intrusion; Taylor said it was stable and that continued monitoring would be required because sustained depressions can increase seawater-intrusion risk. No public comments were recorded. The council voted to receive and file the NCMA 2024 annual report and the water-supply update.
City staff said they would continue monthly well measurement and quarterly sampling and remain coordinated with regional partners and the court-ordered monitoring program.
