SPECIAL
CITY COUNCIL/SUCCESSOR
AGENCY/PUBLIC FINANCE AUTHORITY
MEETINGAGENDA
February 17, 2022
6:00 PM
The Mission of the City of Coalinga is to provide for the preservation of the community character by delivering quality, responsive City services, in an efficient and cost-effective manner, and to develop, encourage, and promote a diversified economic base in order to ensure the future financial stability of the City for its citizens.
Notice is hereby given that the City Council will hold a Special Meeting, on February 17, 2022 in the City Council Chambers located at 155 West Durian, Coalinga, CA. Persons with disabilities who may need assistance should contact the City Clerk at least 24 hours prior to this meeting at 935-1533 x113. Anyone interested in translation services should contact the City Clerk at least 24 hours prior to the meeting at 935-1533 x113.
The Special Meeting will begin at 4:30 p.m. and the agenda will be as follows:
1. CALL TO ORDER
1. Pledge of Allegiance
2. Changes to the Agenda
3. Council's Approval of Agenda
2. AWARDS, PRESENTATIONS, APPOINTMENTS AND PROCLAMATIONS (NONE)
3. CITIZEN COMMENTS
This section of the agenda allows members of the public to address the City Council on any item within the jurisdiction of the Council. Members of the public, when recognized by the Mayor, should come forward to the lectern, identify themselves and use the microphone. Comments are normally limited to three (3) minutes. In accordance with State Open Meeting Laws, no action will be taken by the City Council this evening and all items will be referred to staff for follow up and a report.
Citizen Comments submitted in writing to the City Clerk by 5:00pm on the day of the City Council meeting shall be distributed to the City Council and included in the record, however they will not be read.
4. PUBLIC HEARINGS (NONE)
5. CONSENT CALENDAR
1. The City Council acting as the Board of Directors of the Coalinga GSA adopt Resolution No. 4069 adopting the Pleasant Valley Groundwater Sustainability Plan to allow the Pleasant Valley GSA to submit to the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) on behalf of the Pleasant Valley GSA
6. ORDINANCE PRESENTATION, DISCUSSION AND POTENTIAL ACTION ITEMS (NONE)
7. ANNOUNCEMENTS
1. City Manager's Announcements
2. Councilmembers' Announcements/Reports
3. Mayor's Announcements
8. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS
9. CLOSED SESSION (NONE)
10. CLOSED SESSION REPORT
Closed Session: A "Closed" or "Executive" Session of the City Council, Successor Agency, or Public Finance Authority may be held as required for items as follows: personnel matters; labor negotiations; security matters; providing instructions to real property negotiators; legal counsel regarding pending litigation; and protection of records exempt from public disclosure.
Closed session will be held in the Administration Building at 155 W. Durian Avenue and any announcements or discussion will be held at the same location following Closed Session.
11. ADJOURNMENT
STAFF REPORT - CITY COUNCIL/SUCCESSOR AGENCY/PUBLIC FINANCE
AUTHORITY
Subject: The City Councilacting as the Board of Directors of the Coalinga GSA adopt Resolution No. 4069 adopting the Pleasant Valley Groundwater Sustainability Plan to allow the Pleasant Valley GSA to submit to the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) on behalf of the Pleasant Valley GSA
Meeting Date: February 17, 2022
From: Marissa Trejo, City Manager
Prepared by: Sean Brewer, Assistant City Manager
I. RECOMMENDATION:
The City Councilacting as the Board of Directors of the Coalinga GSA adopt Resolution No. 4069 adopting the Pleasant Valley Groundwater Sustainability Plan to allow the Pleasant Valley GSA to submit to the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) on behalf of the Pleasant Valley GSA.
II. BACKGROUND:
The Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) requires governments and water agencies of high and medium priority basins to halt overdraft and bring groundwater basins into balanced levels of pumping and recharge. Under SGMA, these basins should reach sustainability within 20 years of implementing their sustainability plans. For critically over-drafted basins, sustainability should be reached by year 2040. For the remaining high and medium priority basins (like Pleasant Valley), 2042 is the deadline.
In January of 2020 the City formed the City’s GSA to enable the City to comply with SGMA by having a GSA which covers the territorial jurisdiction of the City and further approved an MOU that set out the basis for cooperation between the City’s GSA and the Pleasant Valley GSA. A similar MOU exists between Fresno County and the Pleasant Valley GSA. A Groundwater Sustainability Plan (“GSP”) was prepared for the entire Pleasant Valley Subbasin by the Pleasant Valley GSA. The MOU provided that the City GSA may provide staff support in applying for grant funding and providing information. The MOU allows the City GSA to avoid the expense of preparing its own GSP where the Pleasant Valley GSA would take the lead on developing the plan.
III. DISCUSSION:
Over the course of the last year and half staff and the City Attorney have been working with the Pleasant Valley GSA to develop the GSP for Pleasant Valley. Since the City has little to no groundwater pumping that would be affected, has surface water imports and a positive balance of 3,000+ acre/feet per year of water, the involvement by City staff was minimal to attending technicalcommittee meetings and providing information and feedback. The largest impact of SGMA will be on the unincorporated areas of the pleasant valley within the basin.
On October 28, 2021 the Draft GSP was released for 90 day public review and comment to all participation GSA's, stakeholders including being posted on the City of Coalinga's website.
On February 3, 2022 the Board of Directors for the Pleasant Valley GSA held a public hearing and subsequently adopted the Draft Groundwater Sustainability Plan. As part of the approval process each GSA has to adopt the GSP by resolution so that they can accompany the GSP when submitted to DWR.
A link to the adopted GSA can be found here under reports: Link to Final GSP The document is large however, the City Attorney and staff have reviewed the document for SGMA compliance and provided comments (attached) to the board of directors for consideration in the final document. There is no material impact that staff has seen that will impact the City of Coalinga negatively with the adoption of this GSP.
IV. ALTERNATIVES:
None as it is required that the Coalinga GSA Adopt the GSP in order for it to be transmitted to DWR.
V. FISCAL IMPACT:
None determined.
ATTACHMENTS:
File Name Description
City_of_Coalinga_PVGSP_Comments_1-12-2022.pdf City of Coalinga GSA Comments - Draft GSP Resolution_No._4069_GSP_Adoption_-_City_of_Coalinga_GSA.docx Resolution No. 4069 - Adoption of GSP January 12, 2022
VIA EMAIL [email protected]
Pleasant Valley GSA
PO Box 468,
Coalinga, CA 93210
Re: City of Coalinga Comments
The City of Coalinga has reviewed the Pleasant Valley Groundwater Sustainability Plan (“GSP”) and appreciates the opportunity to review and comment on the GSP pursuant to the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (“SGMA”).
As a GSA serving in an advisory role to the Pleasant Valley Sub-Basin the City of Coalinga wanted to provide its comments on the final draft GSP which have been divided into general/administrative/policy comments and more detailed technical comments.
General/Administrative/Policy Comments
Groundwater recharge by the City of Coalinga via wastewater treatment plant The City of Coalinga wants to ensure the groundwater being recharged out of the City of Coalinga’s wastewater treatment plant is correctly accounted for which was subject to discussion during the technical meetings. The City of Coalinga estimates 1 million gallons a day are recharged into the basin via the wastewater treatment plant. The City found the recharge rates within the GSP to be vague with a range of 200-3000 acre feet time range. (Page 251-252). Also, the City found the recharge from the Prison and Hospital to be missing as these facilities are located in the City limits. Finally, the GSP was vague as to which entity would receive the groundwater credit for the wastewater treatment plant recharge when the City of Coalinga physically recharges the water. The GSP should clearly present the future projected water recharge from the City of Coalinga, State Hospital, and State Prison’s wastewater treatment plants. Finally, the GSP should note that any groundwater recharged via the wastewater treatment plants are credited to the City of Coalinga GSA.
Technical Comments
• Number of hospitals and prisons is not correct. There are not "two nearby prisons and a hospital" (page 11). There is a prison and a state hospital both of which are located within the City of Coalinga. If you are referring to the Coalinga Regional Medical Center as the second hospital please clarify.
• The City of Coalinga’s wastewater treatment plant is incorrectly labeled as a “lake” in the GSP. (Page 85). The City of Coalinga’s wastewater treatment plant should be corrected and relabeled as a wastewater treatment plant.
• Produced water from the oil industry should not be considered under SGMA because this water is extracted from below the groundwater aquifer and produced water does not come from formations yielding usuable groundwater. (Page 109). Second, treated produced water that is extracted and recharged should be accounted for and this data should be provided by the oil companies. • The City of Coalinga has accurate surface water information both from the Coalinga Canal and out of the surface water treatment plant. The City is willing to share this information. However, the City of Coalinga is requesting the surface water values related to streams flowing through the GSA. (Page 13). Also, the City of Coalinga is requesting this data be integrated within the GSP. Also, the GSP should clarify and distinguish naturally occurring surface water versus imported surface water and the return flow of this imported water.
• The City of Coalinga adopted an Urban Water Management Plan. (Page 107). Within the adopted Plan is a drought contingency plan which is intended to assist the City of Coalinga prepare and manage for a drought.
• The City of Coalinga is not responsible for any of the potential groundwater projects unless the City expressly agrees to join and pay for a project. The City of Coalinga agrees that project costs should be the responsibility of the proponent.
• There are some general concerns about the accuracy of the Land IQ land mapping program. The City of Coalinga wants to ensure Land IQ is in fact accurate and reliable. For example, certain land uses like “truck crops” are not defined and not correctly labeled within the City of Coalinga. Also, there appears to be a higher number of deciduous crop acreage than what is actually grown in the city limits of Coalinga.
We appreciate the opportunity to provide our general and technical comments related to the Pleasant Valley Groundwater Sustainability Plan. We hope these comments are welcomed and addressed a the public meeting and integrated into the Final Plan.
Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions at [email protected] or 559-935- 1533.143.
Sean Brewer, Assistant City Manager
Cc: Sebastian Silveira, Griswold-Lasalle
Marissa Trejo, City Manager
Katie Durham, Provost & Pritchard
Eric Abrahamsen, Provost & Pritchard
RESOLUTION NO. 4069
RESOLUTION OF THE CITY OF COALINGA GROUNDWATER ASSOCIATION
ADOPTING THE PLEASANT VALLEY GROUNDWATER SUSTAINABILITY PLAN A. WHEREAS, in August 2014, the California Legislature passed, and in September 2014 the Governor signed, legislation creating the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (“SGMA”) “to provide local groundwater sustainability agencies with the authority and technical and financial assistance necessary to sustainably manage groundwater” (Wat. Code, § 10720, (d)); and
B. WHEREAS, SGMA requires sustainable management through the development of groundwater sustainability plans (“GSPs”), which can be a single plan developed by one or more groundwater sustainability agency (“GSA”) or multiple coordinated plans within a basin or subbasin (Wat. Code, § 10727); and
C. WHEREAS, SGMA requires a GSA manage groundwater in all basins designated by the Department of Water Resources (“DWR") as a medium or high priority, including the Pleasant Valley Subbasin (designated basin number 5-22.10); and D. WHEREAS, City of Coalinga Groundwater Sustainability Agency (“City of Coalinga GSA”) was formed as a GSA on April 25, 2019 for the purposes of sustainably managing groundwater in the Pleasant Valley Subbasin, within its jurisdictional boundaries, pursuant to therequirements of SGMA; and
E. WHEREAS, City of Coalinga GSA, the Pleasant Valley GSA and the County of Fresno have jointly developed a Groundwater Sustainability Plan (the “GSP”) for the Pleasant Valley Subbasin; and
F. WHEREAS, on October 28, 2021 the Draft GSP was released for public review and comment.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Board of Directors of the City of Coalinga GSA resolves as follows:
1. City of Coalinga GSA hereby approves and adopts the final draft GSP attached in Exhibit A.
2. City of Coalinga GSA authorizes its President and its consultants to take such other actions as maybe reasonably necessary to submit the GSP to DWR as required by DWR, and implement the purpose of this Resolution.
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PASSED, APPROVED, AND ADOPTED this 17th day of February, 2022 by the following vote:
AYES:
NAYS:
ABSTAIN:
ABSENT:
Mayor/Chairman
Attest:
Date:
City Clerk/Deputy Clerk