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Board approves Sacramento County expansion of GSA area in Solano subbasin to avoid state takeover
Summary
The Board agreed unanimously to amend the Sacramento County Groundwater Sustainability Agency boundaries to add roughly 23,000 acres in the Solano Subbasin and 3,000 acres in the South American subbasin, aiming to preserve local control and avoid potential state intervention and fees under SGMA.
The Sacramento County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved amendments on April 8 to expand the Sacramento County Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA) boundary to include roughly 23,000 acres in the Solano Subbasin and a 3,000-acre portion of the South American Subbasin.
Chris Sunney, Groundwater Sustainability Manager with the county Department of Water Resources, told the board the action responds to withdrawals of exclusive GSA status by reclamation districts that left parts of the subbasins unmanaged. Sunney said the amendments "add approximately 23,000 acres of newly unmanaged area in the Solano Subbasin to the Sac County GSA" and formally include the 3,000-acre portion of the South American subbasin under shared responsibility with the Sacramento County Water Agency.
Sunney warned that, without local action, the State Water Resources Control Board could impose state management and fees. He told the board that state-imposed costs can be "$300 per well" and "can be up to $25 per acre foot of water extracted," and said expanding the GSA now preserves local control and prevents potentially significant state charges for local groundwater users.
The board opened and closed a public hearing with no speakers and then approved resolutions amending the county’s 2021 memorandum of agreement with the Sacramento County Water Agency, authorizing staff to execute the updated MOA and to notify the State Department of Water Resources. County staff said the amendments also allow future administrative adjustments of GSA boundaries without amending the MOA.
