County joining state groundwater program

Glenn County will soon be part of the California Statewide Groundwater Elevation Monitoring Program.

Supervisors approved its participation as a monitoring and reporting entity Tuesday, after Water Resource Coordinator Lester Messina reported the program works cooperatively with local entities to collect the groundwater elevation for a widely available public database.

He said it goes back to 2000 and objectives were developed in 2001 for monitoring groundwater levels.

Messina added there are 25 dedicated monitoring wells for this program throughout the county.
It also figures into local long-term groundwater monitoring and management goals, a report from the Glenn County Agriculture Department said.

Messina said the county would assume an umbrella role in this process - working with area water districts and other entities on the issue.

He said six counties in the Northern California area around Glenn are approaching the issue in the same manner.

Supervisor Leigh McDaniel said the Colusa County supervisors indicated Tuesday they would support it as well.

“It is something we should do,” he said. “But we are also compelled to do it to re-enforce counties want to be involved.”

Supervisor John Viegas said the program dovetails into what “we are trying to accomplish in this county to save our precious water.”

It also will allow Glenn County to continue seeking state grant funding for related projects, he said.

If the county did not participate in the program, state Department of Water Resources officials said their agency would have to do the monitoring, which would make the county or other water agencies ineligible for water grants or loans administered by the agency.

Messina said Thursday the consequences of not participating have yet to be determined because DWR is working on those guidelines, but has not finished them.

“We have taken on the (monitoring) role anyway and accept that challenge,” Messina said.

There are six small groundwater basins in the foothills of Glenn County that are mentioned in the legislation, but Messina doubts they will be as important to DWR as those in the valley.

“The two wells in the Chrome area may not matter in the big picture and may not be a big priority to DWR,” he said, even though they are important to residents there.

Agriculture Commissioner Mark Black did not attend Tuesday’s meeting, but his department will handle the program.

His report indicated it would cost about $2,500 to develop the monitoring requirement guidelines and $5,000 a year to maintain the program, but these funds are already budgeted within the Agriculture Department.

Notification of the county’s intent will be sent to DWR by Jan. 1, county officials said.

It has until July 1, 2011, to submit monitoring plans for the state agency review from the local entities.

Groundwater monitoring will begin Sept. 1, and a fall report is to be submitted by Jan. 1, 2012.