The mission to protect Sierra Valley’s groundwater from depletion and reduced quality got a $7.5 million boon with approval of grants aimed at preservation, restoration, and long-term sustainability.
Three separate grants will be used to implement the valley’s Groundwater Sustainability Plan, completed in December 2022:
- An award for $809,076, from California Department of Fish and Wildlife, will fund planning and permitting activities required for projects designed to provide a more complete understanding of the groundwater subbasin and support long-term sustainable groundwater management.
- The Plumas Watershed Forum provided $1,220,000 for activities related to aquifer management, including farm assessments and enhanced irrigation efficiency.
- The largest grant, for $5,450,000, is from California Department of Water Resources (DWR). It will fund all aspects of implementing the groundwater management plan, including data collection and data management, annual reports, five-year updates, and grant administration.
“Overall it’s just a real good deal.”
Dwight Ceresola, Plumas County supervisor
It’s all very good news for Sierra Valley, said Dwight Ceresola, Plumas County District 1 supervisor who represents the area and serves on the groundwater district board.
“We’re excited to get this help with different studies to ensure we have sufficient recharge of the groundwater,” he told The Plumas Sun. The funding will help determine what the recharge is and what managers can do to improve it, Ceresola said.
District 2 Supervisor Kevin Goss, who serves as an alternate on the groundwater district board, credited Plumas County Planning Director Tracey Ferguson for “kicking the grant applications across the goal line.” Ferguson announced the funding at the Board of Supervisors Nov. 21 meeting.
Plumas County’s most valuable natural resource
The 456 square-mile valley, stretching across eastern Plumas and northern Sierra counties, is the largest alpine meadow in the United States. It is flush with wildlife and marshes filled with cattails and bulrushes that drain into the Middle Fork of the Feather River. Sierra Valley and the rest of the Feather River watershed contribute virtually all of the water that goes into the State Water Project, a multi-purpose water storage and delivery system that extends more than 705 miles, two-thirds the length of California.
Sierra Valley has been home for millennia to Native Americans, including Maidu, Paiute, and Washoe tribes. Today it hosts ranches, some dating back to the 1850s, that use groundwater to irrigate their crops.
Sierra Valley’s groundwater management plan is part of a statewide program enacted by the 2014 Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), which established a framework to help protect groundwater resources. Groundwater is one of California’s greatest natural resources, making up a significant portion of the state’s water supply, and serving as a buffer against the impacts of drought and climate change. During a typical year, groundwater makes up approximately 40 percent of California’s total water supply; in dry years groundwater usage goes up to 60 percent, according to the State Water Resources Control Board.
Groundwater management in Sierra Valley
Sierra Valley led the state in recognizing the importance of protecting this below-ground resource. The Sierra Valley Groundwater Management District (SVGMD), created in 1980 under State Senate Bill No. 1391, made this bi-county valley the first groundwater district in California. The law defined the legal boundaries and regulatory authority of the District and authorized its creation by a joint exercise of powers agreement between Plumas and Sierra counties.
Under the state’s 2014 groundwater management act, Sierra Valley is defined as a medium-priority groundwater basin. Monitoring has found chronic lowering of groundwater levels, which indicates the supply is being depleted. That is one of the “undesirable results” the management plan is designed to address. Other issues include reduced groundwater storage, degraded water quality and ground subsidence. Monitoring has also shown that interconnections between surface and groundwater are being depleted, with “significant and unreasonable adverse impacts on beneficial uses of the surface water,” according to the management plan.
The Sierra Valley district’s Groundwater Sustainability Plan, partially funded by a $2 million grant from DWR, is designed to address all of these issues, Ferguson said. The recent influx of $7.5 million in grants will fund planning and permitting activities. District managers have 20 years to implement the plan, with checks every five years to ensure sustainable management. They will specifically address groundwater recharge, irrigation efficiencies and surface water distribution, Ferguson said.
All water uses and users of groundwater are included in the plan, which also addresses dependent ecosystems. The plan recognizes 20 pumpers and recommends ways to work with them to achieve sustainable groundwater management in the basin.
Ceresola said implementing the plan is a long-term process. The money will help with both on-the-ground projects and with monitoring studies.
“Overall it’s just a real good deal,” he said.