Groundwater plan nears completion

Progress on a groundwater management plan for Colusa County will continue at a public meeting in less than two weeks at the board chambers in the historic Colusa courthouse.

“The purpose and overall goal of the groundwater management plan is to ensure that the quantity and quality of groundwater in the county is sustained,” said Stephen Hackney, director of planning and building. It’s comparable to the county’s general plan regarding land-use issues, he added.

The Colusa Basin Drainage District has received a federal grant to collect information by means of developing groundwater monitoring wells infrastructure for purposes of collection of groundwater data

Hackney, the secretary to the Groundwater Management Commission, will present a proposed Memorandum Of Understanding between the Colusa Basin Drainage District, Colusa County Resource Conservation District, and the Colusa County Groundwater Commission.

The Groundwater Management Commission will consider the MOU and, possibly, make a recommendation to the County Board of Supervisors.

Gene Massa, the Colusa Basin general manager, will also present information on local groundwater replenishment, Hackney said.

The parties are nearing completion of a County groundwater management plan. “Overtime, the data collected by the District’s efforts can be incorporated into, and help strengthen the goals and objectives of the County Plan.

Little is actually known about groundwater aquifers in Colusa. The plan would provide guidelines for farmers and water users to better understand and manage water resources, according to Wood Rodgers Inc., the Sacramento engineering firm hired to guide the plan’s development.

The plan would also provide the opportunity for additional grant funding for water resources.

“If you are concerned about the county’s groundwater, about protecting it, about how it is managed, then we need to hear from you,” Hackney said. “We need your opinion and knowledge.”

KNOW AND GO:

When: Wednesday, October 15, 2008, at 1:30 p.m.,
Where: at the Board Chambers in the Historic Courthouse, at 547 Market Street, Colusa

For more information, call Hackney at 458-0480, or go to www.ndwater.ca.gov and click on the “Colusa” icon.