Executive Summary
The agencies within Basin 8-1 collaborated to prepare and submit an Alternative to a Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP). In accordance with Water Code §10733.6(b)(3), the Alternative presented an analysis of basin conditions that demonstrated that the Basin had operated within its sustainable yield over a period of at least 10 years. The Alternative was submitted to DWR on December 22, 2016. On July 17, 2019, DWR determined that the Alternative satisfied SGMA objectives and was therefore approved. Agencies with approved alternatives are required to submit annual reports to DWR by April 1 of each year. Annual reports for Basin 8-1 were submitted to DWR as follows:
• Water Year 2016-17, submitted on March 29, 2018 • Water Year 2017-18, submitted on March 29, 2019 • Water Year 2018-19, submitted on March 30, 2020 • Water Year 2019-20, submitted on March 30, 2021
According to Water Code § 10733.8, “ At least every five years after initial submission of a plan pursuant to Section 10733.4, the department shall review any available groundwater sustainability plan or alternative submitted in accordance with Section 10733.6, and the implementation of the corresponding groundwater sustainability program for consistency with this part, including achieving the sustainability goal. The department shall issue an assessment for each basin for which a plan or alternative has been submitted in accordance with this chapter, with an emphasis on assessing progress in achieving the sustainability goal within the basin. The assessment may include recommended corrective actions to address any deficiencies identified by the department.” This document, called the 2022 Update, represents the first five-year update, which is due January 1, 2022. For purposes of this report, the Basin 8-1 Alternative submitted on December 22, 2016, will be referred to as the 2017 Alternative. The first five-year update will be referred to as the 2022 Update for ease of reference. The 2017 Alternative was a comprehensive document showing that Basin 8-1 had been managed sustainably for more than 10 years. For the 2022 Update, the focus is on documenting that the basin has been sustainably managed during the five years since the 2017 Alternative was submitted and to present relevant new information from the last five years. As such, the 2017 Alternative is considered a key reference document with background information that is not duplicated in the 2022 Update. The water resources in the Santa Ana Canyon Management Area include the Santa Ana River and limited groundwater. Groundwater is primarily located in a thin alluvial aquifer that is 90 to 100 feet thick and is a combination of infiltrated Santa Ana River water and subsurface inflow from the adjacent foothills. Groundwater produced from the alluvial aquifer is primarily used for irrigation, but some is also used for potable purposes. The volume of produced groundwater represents less than one percent of the total available water supply to the Santa Ana Canyon Management Area due to the significantly larger flow of the Santa Ana River as shown on Table 1-2. Even under projected dry conditions, groundwater production is expected to be less than
BASIN 8-1 ALTERNATIVE 2022 UPDATE
1-2
Appendix F - 244
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