Invite issued to create a new water agency – this one for groundwater

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After a year of having helped create a brand new all-encompassing water agency, the public is now invited to come help create another brand new water agency.

 Unlike the product of the long-debated agency merging SCV Castaic Lake Water Agency and one of the valley’s four water retailers, formation of the latest agency also seeks input from the public as demanded by the state.

Under a state law passed two years ago, a law spurred by drought concerns and conservation, California communities through their water agencies are expected to come up with a groundwater sustainability agency.

What does a groundwater sustainability agency look like?

Water officials with the CLWA are expected to explain to anyone showing up for the meeting how the community might make the most of the water underneath the Santa Clarita Valley.

“We’re basically going to introduce what a groundwater sustainability agency is,” Dirk Marks, water resource manager for the CLWA, told The Signal Thursday.

“It’s basically a groundwater management 101 course,” he said.

The public workshop takes place Tuesday, Jan. 24, beginning at 6:30 p.m. at The Centre, 20880 Centre Pointe Parkway, in the Sycamore Rooms A and B.

The public is invited to participate in what organizers are calling a “Stakeholder Forum” to learn about state demands to create agency dealing specifically with groundwater. The demands are spelled out in the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act.

It’s hoped SCV participants will provide input on the formation of a groundwater sustainability agency for a groundwater area describe as the Santa Clara River Valley East Sub-basin, Marks said.

State officials expect the new groundwater agency to be finalized by the end of  2017.

Once established, the new agency would be responsible for coming up with a plan for groundwater sustainability by 2022 that will achieve sustainability by 2042.

As it stands now, the CLWA and SCV’s four water retailers – the CLWA Santa Clarita Water Division, Los Angeles County Waterworks District #36, Newhall County Water District, Valencia Water Company and others including the city of Santa Clarita and county of Los Angeles – are working to create the new agency.

For more information, visit:

  • bit.ly/scrveb-gsa-map to find out if your address overlies the Santa Clara River Valley East Subbasin.
  • clwa.org/groundwater-sustainability-agency to learn about the formation of a Groundwater Sustainability Agency for the Santa Clara River Valley East Subbasin.

[email protected]

661-287-5527

on Twitter @jamesarthurholt

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