Ojai‑area groundwater agency approves scope for five‑year GSP evaluation; consultant to prepare draft for DWR

The Ohio Valley Groundwater Management Agency voted Sept. 25 to approve a scope of work and contract authorization for the five‑year periodic evaluation of its Groundwater Sustainability Plan, a required submission to the Department of Water Resources due in January 2027.

General Manager Julia said the board received a draft scope from consultant Dudek and that the evaluation will be an extensive, year‑long effort. She told the board she raised the GSP evaluation line in the FY 2025–26 budget from $200,000 to $250,000 to cover the level of effort and to meet the DWR deadline.

Devin, a Dudek representative, described the major tasks for the evaluation: preparing what he called a several‑hundred‑page draft document, revisiting recommended corrective actions from the approved GSP, assessing stream‑aquifer interactions, checking water‑quality thresholds and measurable objectives, and running the groundwater modeling necessary to quantify who would be affected if thresholds were exceeded.

Several board members questioned whether the state’s standard GSP language in the draft could be read as saying the basin already has ‘‘undesirable results.’’ One board member said that language should be clarified so it does not imply current adverse conditions. Devin acknowledged the concern and said Dudek would reword the draft to make clear that the listed sustainability indicators are potential results to be reviewed rather than findings that currently apply to the Ojai Basin.

The board’s approval authorizes the work and preserves opportunity for board input during preparation and for public review of a draft before the GSP evaluation is submitted to DWR.

The next procedural step is preparation of a draft periodic evaluation by the consultant, presentation of updates to the board during the year, and a public release of the draft for comment prior to the January 2027 submittal deadline.