[CONTRA COSTA, CA] – The East Contra Costa Groundwater Sustainability Working Group is seeking input on Chapters 1 and 2 of a Draft Groundwater Sustainability Plan (Plan). Comments are due June 1, 2020.  The Plan is required under the 2014 Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA). Additional chapters will be released on a quarterly basis throughout 2020. More information and a form for comments are available at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ECC_GSP_Chpts1_2.

In announcing the release of the draft chapters, Byron-Bethany Irrigation District (BBID) General Manager Rick Gilmore explained, “We are happy to be one of the agencies participating in this process. Developing a sustainability plan is an important step in meeting the requirements of SGMA to halt overdraft and support a healthy groundwater basin. We are confident we will be able to achieve the state’s goals well before the 2042 deadline.”

Chapter 1 of the plan provides background information including the purpose of the plan and the sustainability goal. Chapter 1 also includes more about the East Contra Costa agencies that will manage the plan implementation.  Chapter 2 outlines the planning area and the data that is being used to prepare the plan.  It also considers water and land use related topics including current and historic uses and the General Plans guiding land use. Another element is a description of economically disadvantaged areas with in the subbasin. The last section of the chapter describes county wells, permitting and well protection.

The table of contents for the full draft plan is located HERE. Prior to offering comments, reviewers are encouraged to read through the table of contents and learn more about the topics that will be considered in the remaining chapters.  A copy of Chapters 1 & 2 is HERE.

For additional SGMA inquiries, to provide more detailed comments, or to be included on the email list, please contact groundwaterinfo@dcd.cccounty.us.

For a PDF version of this news release, please see below.

SGMA_For Immediate Release 5.7.2020