COMMITTEE AGENDA MEMORANDUM
Water Supply and Demand Management Committee
Government Code § 84308 Applies: Yes ? No ?
(If “YES” Complete Attachment A – Gov. Code § 84308)
SUBJECT: title
Receive a Status Report on the Development of the Five-Year Update (Periodic Evaluation) to the North San Benito Subbasin Groundwater Sustainability Plan; and Recommend Bringing Periodic Evaluation to the December 8, 2026 Board of Directors Meeting for Public Hearing and Adoption.
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RECOMMENDATION: Recommendation
Receive a status report on the development of the five-year update, or Periodic Evaluation, to the North San Benito Subbasin Groundwater Sustainability Plan; and
Recommend that the Board hold a public hearing on the Periodic Evaluation (updated plan) at its December 8, 2026 meeting and consider adopting the updated plan.
Body
SUMMARY:
The Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) requires that groundwater sustainability agencies (GSAs) managing medium or high-priority basins prepare and implement a groundwater sustainability plan (GSP) or an authorized alternative to a GSP and prepare a Periodic Evaluation at least every five years. The North San Benito Subbasin is about 200 square miles and largely in San Benito County with small areas (about 5 square miles) in Santa Clara County. Valley Water is the GSA for the portion of the GSP area in Santa Clara County. In 2022, San Benito County Water District (SBCWD) and Valley Water agreed to collaborate in preparing the GSP with SBCWD taking the lead and with cooperative implementation of the GSP in the future. The 2022 GSP was approved by the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) with four Recommended Corrective Actions. As the GSAs for the medium priority North San Benito Subbasin, SBCWD and Valley Water have prepared a Periodic Evaluation and GSP Amendment that respond to the DWR feedback.
This memo provides an overview of the major elements of the North San Benito GSP, Valley Water’s roles an...
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