Palermo Needs Clean Water*

"Wyandotte Basin GSA must sponsor and collaborate on projects addressing dry wells and water quality as mandated by SB 552." The GSA agrees in part and disagrees in part with this finding. The GSA's reasoning is as follows. SB 552 - Drought Planning for Small Water Suppliers and Rural Communities - requires counties to prepare a Drought Plan to achieve meaningful, long-term improvements in water resilience for their residents and to establish a Drought Task Force to coordinate proactive planning across ongoing statewide efforts. The statute suggests coordination with Groundwater Sustainability Agencies but does not obligate GSAs to sponsor or lead projects addressing dry wells and water quality. But counties remain ultimately responsible for addressing dry wells and their impacts. Please also note that GSAs have limited ability to raise and spend funds and must first devote what available resources exist to their primary functions under the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act ("SGMA"). Docusign Envelope ID: 68888DD2-1056-4D94-ADCE-0B08E316BCBA We understand that GSAs may nonetheless address these issues when feasible under SGMA and through the implementation of our Groundwater Sustainability Plan. To ensure close alignment with Butte County to assist in addressing the water situation in Palermo and the problem of declining groundwater generally, we have: received regular briefings from the Department of Water and Resource Conservation on the status of the County's Drought Plan preparation; solicited our Board's input on both short-term actions and long-term mitigation measures to be included in that Plan; committed to maintaining consistency between the County's recommended actions and our own identified projects and management actions, incorporating feedback as appropriate; and coordinated with the County on obtaining funding for and implementing groundwater monitoring projects to identify impacts to groundwater levels and quality in the Wyandotte Creek subbasin. This collaborative approach allows us to support drought resilience for Palermo residents without duplicating the County's statutory leadership role.