FOX CANYON GROUNDWATER MANAGEMENT AGENCY BOARD OF DIRECTORS Eugene F. West, Chair, Director, Camrosa Water District David Borchard, Vice Chair, Farmer, Agricultural Representative Steve Bennett, Supervisor, County of Ventura Charlotte Craven, Councilperson, City of Camarillo Robert Eranio, Director, United Water Conservation District EXECUTIVE OFFICER Jeff Pratt, P.E. MINUTES Minutes of the Fox Canyon Groundwater Management Agency s (FCGMA) regular Board meeting held Wednesday, in the Board of Supervisors Hearing Room at the Ventura County Government Center, Hall of Administration, 800 South Victoria Avenue, Ventura California. A. Call to Order Chair Eugene F. West called the meeting to order at 1:31p.m. B. Pledge of Allegiance Director Craven led the Pledge of Allegiance. C. Roll Call Chair Eugene F. West Director Steve Bennett Arrived at 1:36 p.m. Director Robert Eranio Director Charlotte Craven Left at 4:02 p.m. Director David Borchard Alternate Directors Michael Mobley and Andy Waters were in the audience. Agency Staff Jeff Pratt, Executive Officer Glenn Shephard, Assistant Executive Officer Andrew Gschwind, Agency Counsel Arne Anselm, Deputy Director, Water Resources Kim Loeb, Groundwater Manager Kathleen Riedel, Groundwater Specialist Kathy Jones, Business Process Coordinator Keely Royas, Clerk of the Board Item 1 Page 1 of 5
Page 2 of 5 D. Agenda Review No changes were made to the agenda. E. Public Comments Steve Nash, Oxnard resident, thanked Arne Anselm for the letter that he wrote to the Ventura County Star addressing water issues. He also stated that it is an appropriate time to start thinking about how to ween Municipal and Industrial (M&I) water users away from using groundwater. He stated that Agriculture needs the groundwater supply and that the City of Oxnard can afford to develop and utilize alternative sources of water for M&I users. F. Board Member Comments There were no Board member comments. CONSENT AGENDA: 1. Approval of Minutes July 26, 2017 2. Approval of Minutes August 11, 2017 Without motion, the Board hereby directs staff to make the following changes to the August 11, 2017 Minutes: Director Borchard commented that on page 2 of 3, under Item 1 in the second to last paragraph, the discussion missing from that paragraph is that although a portion of the operating budget looked to not be in balance, there was a large fund balance reserve that looked to be increasing over the years. He also commented that on page 3 of 3, under Item 2, third paragraph from the end, he wanted the comments stating depending on the time viewed changed to convey that not all hydrographs viewed that day represented declining groundwater levels and some seemed to be stable. 3. Letter of Support for the United Water Conservation District Director Craven made a motion to approve the consent agenda. Director Eranio seconded the motion, and the motion passed unanimously. REGULAR AGENDA: 4. Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP) Update Mr. Loeb introduced the item and presented the Groundwater Sustainability Plan Update PowerPoint to the Board. He gave an update on past and future dates of the Technical Advisory Group (TAG) meetings, the ad-hoc sustainable management subcommittees, as well as the two GSP workshops focusing on the water budget, undesirable results and sustainable yield. Item 1 - Page 2 of 5
Page 3 of 5 Jill Weinberger from Dudek presented an abridged version of the presentation given at the latest GSP workshop focusing on the water budget, undesirable results, and sustainable yield for the Oxnard and Pleasant Valley basins. Director West thanked Dudek for their work and for the presentation at the July 20, 2017 workshop. Director Bennett complimented Ms. Weinberger on explaining things very clearly and asked her to what it would take to incorporate, in the GSP, the idea of identifying sea water level markers that we will promise to not get worse and if they are not getting better by a certain time, action will need to be taken. Ms. Weinberger stated that it is absolutely part of the GSP process and that the TAG is currently discussing these sustainability objectives. Director Eranio asked about the timing of the plan and how it is going to be presented. He asked if there would be a variety of options and possible scenarios for the different sustainability objectives or is it going to be a firm plan that will be presented to the Board and simply asked for approval. Ms. Weinberger stated that they are analyzing different plans and scenarios. She also expressed that this will be a living document and can be updated over time. Mr. Quinlan stated that they are still working through that and are looking at different scenarios and those scenarios could be changed based on adverse weather conditions. Director Borchard asked if it is possible in ideal situations when we get a large amount of spreading, if sea water is actually pushed out. Mr. Quinlan addressed Director Borchard s question by going through different water level and chloride maps. Mr. Loeb stated that the ad-hoc TAG subcommittees are looking at what wells are the best sentinel wells to monitor the movement of sea water intrusion that will effect milestone decisions. Director Bennett asked if Dudek would present the Las Posas GSP workshop presentation at the next meeting. Mr. Loeb presented remaining GSP tasks and a Board meeting task schedule. Public comments were made by: (1) Terry Foreman, TAG Member; (2) Bryan Bondy, TAG Member; (3) Jim O Tousa, TAG Member; and (4) Lynn Jensen, VC CoLAB. There was discussion between the Board members about the uncertainty that was expressed from public comments and the desire for more time to gather and analyze data to reduce that uncertainty. Director Bennett stated that it would be best for the TAG to prioritize the remaining tasks and do the ones most beneficial over the next two months to meet the current GSP timeline. Director Bennett asked if staff was recommending more time for the GSP. Mr. Pratt answered that staff is not requesting more time. Director Bennett made a motion to receive and file the update. Director Borchard seconded the motion, and the motion passed unanimously. Item 1 - Page 3 of 5
Page 4 of 5 5. Pumping Allocation Systems Development Mr. Loeb introduced the item and presented the Update on Pumping Allocations Systems Development PowerPoint to the Board. Mr. Loeb stated that the allocation plans are on track for staff to bring them to the Board by the end of the year. Mr. Loeb described where the Agency is at with the Las Posas basin allocation plan. He addressed the Board s desire for the Agency to work with the Las Posas Valley Water Right s Coalition (LPVWRC); however, the LPVWRC has not identified specific leadership contacts despite several requests and no representatives have attended monthly meetings with staff and the Las Posas Users Group to which they were invited. He also summarized the Oxnard and Pleasant Valley Basins allocation system development and said staff plans to present an overview of a bridge allocation system at the October 25, 2017, Board meeting. Director Bennett made a motion to receive and file the update. Director Eranio seconded the motion, and the motion passed unanimously. 6. Water Market/AMI Pilot Program Update Mr. Anselm introduced the item and presented the Water Market and AMI Pilot Program Update to the Board. Mr. Anselm presented what the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) grant is and includes, the options and challenges with moving forward with another phase in a water market and future Board actions that will need to be taken. Mr. Fienup gave an overview of the findings and recommendations of phase one of the water market. A public comment was made by Jeannette Lombardo. Director Eranio made a motion to receive and file the update. Director Borchard seconded the motion, and the motion passed unanimously. 7. Discussion of Whether Automated Metering Infrastructure (AMI) Equipment Should be Operator Owned or Agency Owned Item was continued to a future meeting. 8. Proposed Resolution No. 2017-02 A Resolution Increasing the Tiered Groundwater Surcharge Rates Pursuant to the Ordinance Code Item was continued to a future meeting. 11. Reschedule November 10, 2017 Special Board Meeting Date Item 1 - Page 4 of 5
Page 5 of 5 Ms. Royas, FCGMA Clerk of the Board, gave possible dates and times for rescheduling the November Special meeting. November 15, 2017 at 3:00 p.m. was an agreeable date and time for the Board. Director Bennett made a motion to reschedule the November Special meeting to the agreeable date. Director Eranio seconded the motion and the motion passed unanimously. (West Yes; Bennett Yes; Eranio Yes; Borchard Yes) EXECUTIVE OFFICER S REPORT: 9. Administrative Reports Director Bennett made a motion to receive and file the Executive Officer s Report. Director Borchard seconded the motion, and the motion passed unanimously. 10. Adjourn Board Meeting Chair West adjourned the meeting at 4:49 p.m. Submitted by: Keely Royas FCGMA Clerk of the Board Item 1 - Page 5 of 5