BOARD AGENDA MEMORANDUM
SUBJECT:
Title
Consider the Agricultural Water Advisory Committee's Recommendation and Associated Staff Analysis from the Committee's April 5, 2021 Meeting.
End
RECOMMENDATION:
Recommendation
Consider accepting the Agricultural Water Advisory Committee's recommendation to support the requests stated in the Santa Clara County Farm Bureau's April 5, 2021, letter.
Body
SUMMARY:
At the Agricultural Water Advisory Committee's meeting on April 5, 2021, the Committee took the following action:
The Committee voted unanimously to support the Santa Clara County Farm Bureau's requests stated in its April 5, 2021, letter (Attachment 1) as follows:
1) Santa Clara Valley Water District (Valley Water) freeze agricultural groundwater rates for the next 15 years, and
2) Valley Water work affirmatively and actively with farmers going forward to increase the aquifer recharge done on farmlands over and above what farmlands have done routinely in years past.
Staff Analysis of Farm Bureau's requests
Staff can carry out the recommendation to freeze agricultural groundwater rates for future years upon full Board direction to do so. Freezing agricultural groundwater rates for future years would cause an increase to the open space credit funds needed to offset lost agricultural charge revenue in those future years. Also, public affairs staff can emphasize the positive contributions of agriculture toward water management in the county where appropriate.
At the January 4, 2021, Committee meeting, staff provided a presentation on a partnership with University of California researchers to conduct a preliminary feasibility study for Flood-Managed Aquifer Recharge (Flood-MAR) in Santa Clara County. Flood-MAR actively captures stormflows on open space and agricultural lands to recharge the groundwater basin. The feasibility study will help determine which open space and agricultural lands may be suitable for recharging groundwater with stormwater, eval...
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