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Riverbank staff outlines Modesto Subbasin groundwater plan; residents and farmers warn of potential costs
Summary
City staff explained Riverbank's role in the Stanislaus and Tuolumne Rivers Groundwater Basin Alliance and the status of the local Groundwater Sustainability Plan. Public commenters, including local farmers and business owners, urged vigilance about possible future costs and urged Council advocacy at regional meetings.
Cody Bridgewater, Riverbank’s director of public works, told the City Council the city is part of the Stanislaus and Tuolumne Rivers Groundwater Basin Alliance (STIRGBA), which formed to comply with the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act of 2014 and to prepare a Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP) for the Modesto Subbasin.
Bridgewater said the Modesto Subbasin is a high-priority basin and listed possible “undesirable results” from overuse — chronic lowering of groundwater levels, reduced storage, degraded water quality, land subsidence and depletion of interconnected surface waters. He said the city and partner agencies submitted a GSP, addressed state comments and are now developing and implementing scenarios and monitoring protocols "and implement adaptive management." Bridgewater advised residents interested in the process to contact the city’s GSA representative, Darren Smolin, or attend STIRGBA meetings held second Wednesdays in Modesto or Oakdale.
The presentation drew several public speakers. Bill Lyons, who identified himself as representing family-owned River Heights commercial property, said the Modesto Subbasin is “primarily sustainable” but warned that the East Side has a significant shortfall and that future mitigation or pumping charges could be spread across jurisdictions. Lyons said: "My primary concern is ... we're gonna be sharing some extremely high rate increases in the future." Farmers and other area agricultural representatives told council the overdraft problem is concentrated in particular areas and urged the council to protect Riverbank residents and businesses from bearing costs for areas they said caused the deficit.
Several commenters urged council members to stay engaged at STIRGBA meetings and to seek more details about the state’s requested revisions to the GSP. Council members asked staff whether the 18 monitoring wells installed under a Department of Water Resources grant are shown on the STIRGBA website; Bridgewater confirmed the wells were installed about four years ago and that monitoring and monthly well soundings are part of ongoing operations.
No formal action or vote was taken by the council on the presentation. Staff said future briefings are likely as implementation scenarios and mitigation plans are developed and vetted.
For residents: STIRGBA meeting notices and materials are posted by the GSA; Bridgewater said the city posts related information and residents can sign up for the GSA email list or contact the local GSA representative.
