<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=4FxXMe_0wNyk2mD00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=4FxXMe_0wNyk2mD00" width="1182" height="664" ><figcaption>Lake Mendocino [Photo by Matt LaFever]</figcaption></figure>At its October 10, 2024 meeting, the Ukiah Valley Basin Groundwater Sustainability Agency (UVBGSA) Board advanced plans to transition administrative duties from the West Yost consulting firm to the City of Ukiah. Sean White, Ukiah’s Director of Water Resources, presented a cost proposal estimating the City could manage the agency for 40% less than West Yost. While the move promises savings, board members raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest given the City’s dual role as a GSA member and the largest groundwater user in the basin.The Board of the Ukiah Valley Basin Groundwater Sustainability Agency spent the previous Board meeting discussing how to transition administration of the GSA from the West Yost consulting firm to the City of Ukiah. The Board asked Sean White, Ukiah’s Director of Water Resources, to provide a proposal of estimated costs to run the GSA. White brought that proposal to the October meeting. He explained that he prepared the proposal after reviewing West Yost’s budget, then consulting with the other City employees to get an idea of the fully burdened cost for the city staff. White estimated that Ukiah can manage the UVBGSA for about 40% less than West Yost charges. The City’s budget will be lower because they are not a for-profit entity, and City employees’ hourly rates are approximately 30 to 50% lower than what consultants charge. The Board discussed whether it would take less work to run the agency going forward, now that the initial setup, rate and fee study, and public outreach meetings have been done. The City will need to rely occasionally on West Yost, Larry Walker Associates, and other consultants. Director Chris Watt brought up the issue of a possible conflict of interest: the City of Ukiah is a member of the UVBGSA, and the largest groundwater user in the area. Will it be a conflict if Ukiah also provides management of the GSA? There will need to be checks and balances and a strong relationship between the Board and the administrator, to make sure the board retains oversight. The Board discussed having consultant LWA prepare data and reports to prevent a potential conflict. The Board voted to accept the City’s proposed cost comparison with West Yost, and further decided to create a Transitional Administrative Ad Hoc Committee comprised of Elizabeth Salomone (of the Technical Advisory Committee), Amber Fisette (of the County of Mendocino Finance Department), and Directors Adam Gaska and Glenn McGourty. The ad hoc committee will work with counsel to prepare a legal agreement between UVBGSA and the City.Prior to hiring West Yost as administrator, the fledgling UVBGSA was administered by the County during the fiscal years 2021-2022 and 2022-2023. Billing for this was somehow overlooked by the County and it has now submitted a bill for just under $20,000 for those two years of administrative service. The Board voted to approve the invoice, which will be paid out of UVBGSA reserves.The Board discussed and approved a time and materials contract with West Yost for the transition of administrative services to Ukiah, not to exceed $15,000.LWA has been hired to perform a well inventory. That contract needs to be amended to include an additional scope of work that will provide a QGIS spatial database. (For an explanation of QGIS, see QGIS.org). The Board approved the additional $40,000 for the amended contract.LWA assisted the UVBGSA in applying for a grant from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife in the amount of $1,359,500. The grant has been awarded for the purpose of performing a study of groundwater dependent ecosystems and interconnected surface water. This study will be necessary to satisfy the requirements of the 2027 periodic evaluation that will be submitted to the California Department of Water Resources. The grant is good news, as this work will not have to be paid for by the residents of the UVBGSA. West Yost will prepare an RFP describing the scope of the study, which will be reviewed by the GSA’s Technical Advisory Committee and the Board. The RFP will be put out for bid, and LWA will be allowed to bid on it, along with any other entity that wishes to bid. Preparation of the RFP is out of scope of West Yost’s contract, but it was determined that some previously budgeted items can be reallocated to pay for preparation of the RFP. Because the UVBGSA fees are a new item on the property tax bills and water bills, based on prior experience managing other GSAs, West Yost recommended that the Board adopt a Groundwater Sustainability Fee Outreach Plan. A high volume of calls is expected, more than staff can handle. The Board was asked to volunteer to answer some of the calls. Directors Glenn McGourty, Adam Gaska, and Douglas Crane volunteered for this duty. West Yost will prepare a press release. There is already a page on the UVBGSA website explaining the fees, including an interactive map to look up fees for a particular address. The DWR provides facilitation services for public outreach and communication about the UVBGSA at no cost to the GSA. The Board voted to ratify and accept the Facilitation Support Services Agreement and to form a Facilitation Support Services Ad Hoc Committee comprised of Technical Advisory Committee members Elizabeth Salomone and Javier Silva, and Directors Adam Gaska and Chris Watt. Regarding well drilling, on September 5, 2024 Executive Order N-3-24 was issued by Governor Newsom, lifting two prior Executive Orders restricting commercial well drilling that had been issued in response to the drought and because of land subsidence in certain groundwater basins. The Kronick law firm posted a summary of the situation on its website. The County has been in the process of developing guidelines to comply with the previously issued EO N-7-22 and EO N-3-23. Those guidelines were never finalized, and are shelved for now, but will be reconsidered in case the state decides to reinstate restrictions. So, for now, there are no restrictions on drilling new commercial wells.The Mendocino County Resource Conservation District plans to install telemetry and sensors at five well sites that are considered key monitoring points in the Ukiah Valley Basin. The Board heard a brief report from Dominic Gutierrez of the DWR. There is funding available from the DWR for a stream gauge improvement program. This is the ten-year anniversary of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act. The DWR has published three papers on Interconnected Surface Water, available to read here, and open for public comment.The next meeting is scheduled for January 9, 2025 from 10 to noon.</div></body>

Mountain View, CA

NewsBreak

Ukiah set to take over Groundwater Agency promising 40% cost savings

At its October 10, 2024 meeting, the Ukiah Valley Basin Groundwater Sustainability Agency (UVBGSA) Board advanced plans to transition administrative duties from the West Yost consulting firm to the City of Ukiah. Sean White, Ukiah’s Director of Water Resources, presented a cost proposal estimating the City could manage the agency for 40% less than West Yost. While the move promises savings, board members raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest given the City’s dual role as a GSA member and the largest groundwater user in the basin.