[Napa] County will study monitoring of agricultural wells

Pressured by the grand jury to monitor agricultural wells, the Board of Supervisors said it will take its time to first create a state-required Alternative Groundwater Sustainability Plan by 2017.

In March, the 2014-15 Napa County grand jury issued a report titled “Management of Groundwater and Recycled Water: Is Napa County in Good Hands?”

The grand jury found much to praise about the county’s efforts to protect groundwater critical to farmers, wineries and rural residents. But, amid a statewide drought, it wants the county to do more to ensure groundwater supplies don’t become overused and depleted.

“This grand jury would stress there are some troubling issues, and that the county would be better served planning for a potential future disaster versus waiting for it to happen and then trying to put a plan together quickly,” the report said.

For example, the grand jury found that the county does not require groundwater monitoring in most cases. It wants all major groundwater users to meter their wells and submit quarterly reports, an idea that has been controversial among other farming communities in the state.

Currently, “most well owners have groundwater extraction limits that cannot be enforced by the county,” the grand jury report said.

Last week, the county responded, noting that wells approved for the groundwater-deficient Milliken-Sarco-Tulocay area since 1999 are required to have meters and have water extraction limits. Also, many post-2005 wineries have metering requirements, though no extraction limits.

Requiring all major users to meter their wells is an idea that requires more analysis, the response said. The county will consider the recommendation as it develops its Alternative Groundwater Sustainability Plan and ask for public comment, with the Board of Supervisors making a decision.

The grand jury also wants the county to develop a drought contingency plan that lays out major steps to be taken amid severe drought. Again, the county replied it will consider the matter as it develops the Alternative Groundwater Sustainability Plan.

On another topic, the grand jury wants the Napa Sanitation District to do more to provide recycled water to potential users for irrigating farms and landscaping.

The district handles 3.5 billion gallons of wastewater annually and uses about 20 percent of this as recycled water. Two new recycled water pipeline projects will allow increased distribution and increase the recycled water share to 45 percent, the report said.

Both the grand jury and district agreed increasing this number still further entails building more recycled water storage facilities. The district is studying the issue, with environmental reports needed to obtain state and federal money.

August 18, 2015

Napa Valley Register

By Barry Eberling