Pre-kickoff Stakeholder meeting

Resolution of Intent to Adopt

Background

Groundwater is a critical resource in California and accounts for approximately 30% of the state's water supply. In the Riverside area, groundwater plays an even more critical role, providing approximately 50,000 acre-feet per year of low-cost, reliable, high-quality water to the local water supply. Located along the Santa Ana River in northwestern Riverside County and southwestern San Bernardino County, the Riverside Basin covers approximately 62 square miles and provides groundwater to several municipal water providers in the area as well as industrial users, universities, golf courses, and several smaller users. To ensure that is still the case tomorrow, the communities utilizing the Riverside Basin are taking a proactive approach today to plan for future groundwater management. Proper management and stewardship of the Basin groundwater is critical to ensuring that the future use of groundwater is sustainable.

In 1992, the California Legislature passed Assembly Bill (AB) 3030, also called the Groundwater Management Act (Section 10750 et seq. of the California Water Code), which was designated to provide local public agencies increased management authority over groundwater resources. Any local public agency which provides water service to all or to a portion of its service area and whose service areas includes all or a portion of a groundwater basin may adopt a Groundwater Management Plan (GWMP). Riverside Public Utilities is funding the development of the GWMP for the Riverside Basin.

The goal of the Riverside Basin GWMP will be determined through a stakeholder process. It is anticipated that these goals would relate to ensuring that groundwater remains a reliable and cost-effective water supply to meet current and future municipal, industrial, and agricultural needs. Objectives and strategies for groundwater use will be based on that goal, and will guide future actions in a cohesive manner.