Fox Canyon GMA approves three 5-year GSP evaluations, declines immediate amendments after stakeholder objections

The Fox Canyon Groundwater Management Agency board on Dec. 13 approved and authorized staff to submit the five‑year periodic evaluations of the Groundwater Sustainability Plans for the Oxnard Subbasin, Pleasant Valley Basin and Las Posas Valley Basin to the California Department of Water Resources (DWR), while declining to recommend formal amendments to the GSPs at this time.

The board’s actions implement a DWR requirement that periodic evaluations be submitted five years after the originally filed GSP; the agency’s evaluations are due Jan. 13, 2025. Interim Executive Officer Arnie Ansall and the agency consultant Dudek presented the final draft evaluations and answered questions after a 16‑month process that included four workshops and a public comment period that closed in October.

Why it matters: the evaluations assess whether implementation of the GSPs is moving groundwater conditions toward the sustainability goals set in the original plans. DWR requires the five‑year assessment but does not require a plan amendment; the board may choose to amend a GSP later if new information or project results indicate a change in management is warranted.

Board action and votes - Oxnard Subbasin (Item 19, part 1): Board approved submission of the Oxnard periodic evaluation to DWR. Roll call: Chair West — yes; Director Long — yes; Director Tremblay — yes; Director Kaviota — yes. Outcome: approved.

- Pleasant Valley Basin (Item 19, part 2): After extended public comment and a motion by Director Tremblay to attach stakeholder letters and clarify language, the board approved submission of the Pleasant Valley periodic evaluation as amended. The amendments instructed staff to (a) add a…