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Authorize the Chair of the Board of Supervisors to sign and transmit a letter of support for the Solano and Dixon Resource Conservation Districts and Solano Subbasin Groundwater Subbasin Agency to apply for a Regional Block Grant for up to $2,000,000 of a larger regional grant with the California Department of Conservation for the Multibenefit Land Repurposing Program
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Published Notice Required? Yes ___ No _X _
Public Hearing Required? Yes ___ No _X _
DEPARTMENTAL RECOMMENDATION:
The Department of Resource Management recommends that the Board of Supervisors authorize the Chair to sign and transmit a letter of support for the Solano and Dixon Resource Conservation Districts and Solano Subbasin Groundwater Subbasin Agency (GSA) to apply for a Regional Block Grant for up to $2,000,000 of a larger regional grant with the California Department of Conservation for the Multibenefit Land Repurposing Program.
SUMMARY:
The California Association of Resource Conservation Districts (CARCD) is pursuing a block grant application totaling approximately $10,000,000 on behalf of resource conservation districts (RCDs) and Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSAs) in seven groundwater subbasins in the Sacramento Valley. The Dixon and Solano RCDs and the Solano Subbasin GSA are requesting up to $2,000,000 of this Regional Block Grant to evaluate management actions to support groundwater recharge and reduce flooding in the northwestern portion of Solano Subbasin (Subbasin).
Solano County is a member of the Solano Subbasin GSA and the project is located within Solano County. The RCDs are requesting a letter of support (Attachment A - Letter of Support) from the County of Solano so that it may be included in the block grant application by CARCD. The grant application is due April 1, 2022.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
There are no costs associated with endorsing CARCD’s application in partnership with the RCDs and the GSA to develop a multi-benefit land repurposing plan and associated activities in the Solano Subbasin. The costs associated with preparing the agenda item and letter are nominal and absorbed by the department’s FY2021/22 Adopted Budget.
DISCUSSION:
The Solano Subbasin (Subbasin), as a medium priority groundwater basin, is required by the State of California to demonstrate sustainable management of its water resources through a groundwater sustainability plan (GSP) over a 20-year implementation period. The Solano Subbasin GSP was adopted by the GSAs that overlie the Subbasin and was submitted to the State Department of Water Resources in January 2022. The GSP contains an assessment of the Subbasin’s conditions and identified that the Subbasin is overall in stable condition, but it did acknowledge localized groundwater level declines in the Subbasin’s northwestern (NW) area over the last 30 years. The NW area also includes the Tremont watershed that regularly experiences localized flooding. The Solano Subbasin map (Attachment B) identifies the NW focus area targeted for work to be funded through the grant. The Solano Subbasin GSP can be found on the Solano Subbasin website (Link in Attachment C).
The CARCB-led block grant application is proposed through partner GSA and RCD agencies in the following Subbasins in Sacramento Valley: Solano, San Joaquin, Amador, Slough House, Yolo, Sutter, and Colusa. Through the grant, the partner GSAs and RCDs will coordinate on actions to reduce reliance on groundwater while benefiting groundwater resources.
Under the grant, the Solano Subbasin member GSAs and partnering agencies will collaborate to initiate an integrated watershed approach to further refine groundwater use in the NW area of the Solano Subbasin and assess potential actions to improve water resources and reduce flood impacts. An integrated “One Water” approach evaluates holistic water management practices that can provide multiple benefits such as targeted groundwater replenishment projects that also reduces localized flooding.
The project proposed by the Solano Subbasin GSA includes coordinating with local agencies, landowners, and agricultural producers to identify priority actions to support drainage and groundwater recharge in the area; conducting focused well and groundwater evaluations to help refine local groundwater use and in-lieu stormwater capture; and assessing other GSA member-supported pilot projects for implementation. A portion of these grant funds will be used to provide on-farm assistance with groundwater related practices such as stormwater capture and recharge as well as irrigation management to help reduce applied agricultural water demand without impacting crop yield, and other practices that support habitat such as agriculture-friendly wildlife buffers and riparian corridors.
This project will further the recommendations in the GSP through coordinated regional efforts on groundwater sustainability. As a member of the Solano Subbasin GSA, County staff will coordinate with the RCDs and GSA member agencies on the proposed work.
ALTERNATIVES:
The Board could choose not to authorize signing of a letter of support. This is not recommended as the Board will miss an opportunity to support GSP implementation. Further, through the GSP, the GSA member agencies recommend evaluation of actions to enhance groundwater resources.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
Solano County is collaborating with other GSA member agencies in the Solano Subbasin and the Solano County Water Agency on GSP implementation. The proposed project will be coordinated through the GSAs and local RCDs, SCWA, and other stakeholder groups in the Solano Subbasin.
CAO RECOMMENDATION:
APPROVE DEPARTMENTAL RECOMMENDATION