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PUBLIC HEARING TO APPROVE A RESOLUTION ADOPTING THE 2024 EASTERN SAN JOAQUIN GROUNDWATER SUSTAINABILITY PLAN AMENDMENT
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RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that the City Council, acting as the City of Stockton Groundwater Sustainability Agency, conduct a Public Hearing to accept and respond to public comment on the 2024 Groundwater Sustainability Plan amendment for the Eastern San Joaquin Subbasin. At the conclusion of the Public Hearing, it is recommended that the City Council approve a resolution to:
1. Approve and adopt the 2024 Groundwater Sustainability Plan Amendment for the Eastern San Joaquin Subbasin.
2. Authorize the Eastern San Joaquin Groundwater Authority, its staff, and its consultants, to take such other actions as may be reasonably necessary to submit the 2024 Groundwater Sustainability Plan Amendment and the 2025 Periodic Evaluation to the Department of Water Resources and implement the plan.
3. Authorize the Municipal Utilities Department to work in collaboration with other local agencies to implement the projects and programs developed in the 2024 Groundwater Sustainability Plan in compliance with the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act.
It is also recommended that the City Manager be authorized to take appropriate actions to carry out the purpose and intent of this resolution.
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Summary
The Municipal Utilities Department (MUD) is comprised of three enterprise funds including Water, Wastewater, and Stormwater Utilities. The Water Utility provides drinking water service to the northern and southern regions of the Stockton Metropolitan Area, with the California Water Service Company and San Joaquin County serving the central region. The Delta Water Treatment Plant (DWTP) began operation in May 2012, providing up to 30 million gallons per day of treated surface water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta and Mokelumne River. Stockton’s other water supplies are derived from the Calaveras and Stanislaus Rivers through a water supply agreement with the Stockton East Water District and a number of groundwater wells.
The City has a vested interest in the sustainable management of the local groundwater subbasin and became a Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA) in 2015. As a GSA, the City is responsible for groundwater management, monitoring, and other activities within its jurisdiction to help control and protect the City groundwater supply and improve the sustainability of the subbasin.
The City and 15 other member GSAs form the Eastern San Joaquin Groundwater Authority (GWA) and are responsible for preparing the Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP) for the Eastern San Joaquin Subbasin. In December 2019, the GWA created the first GSP and approved and adopted the plan in compliance with SGMA.
Staff recommends that the City Council, acting under its authority as a GSA, approve and adopt the new 2024 GSP Amendment for the Eastern San Joaquin Subbasin (Exhibit 1 to the Resolution) and authorize the GWA to take actions as may be reasonably necessary to submit the 2025 Periodic Evaluation (Exhibit 2 to the Resolution) for the Eastern San Joaquin Subbasin to the State Department of Water Resources (DWR).
DISCUSSION
Background
Groundwater wells are important to the City as a supply source, particularly in times of drought when local rivers experience decreased flows.
The State of California passed the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) in 2014, which established a statewide framework for groundwater management through Groundwater Sustainability Agencies. Section 10723 of California Water Code states that “the following agencies created by statute to manage groundwater shall be deemed the exclusive local agencies within their respective statutory boundaries with powers to become a GSA.” The City of Stockton became an approved GSA in 2015.
As described in DWR Bulletin 118, of the 515 groundwater basins in California, 127 are categorized as medium or high priority basins. The Eastern San Joaquin Subbasin is listed as a “high priority” basin. The SGMA requires medium and high priority basins to develop groundwater sustainability agencies (GSAs), develop groundwater sustainability plans (GSPs) by 2020 and manage groundwater for long-term sustainability. On behalf of the City of Stockton and the other 15 member agencies, the GWA submitted the 2020 Eastern San Joaquin GSP to the DWR on January 29, 2020.
The GSP must provide, among other items, detailed physical descriptions, monitoring programs, and management provisions, and describe interaction with other plans, such as the Stockton General Plan. The GSP must also indicate a path to groundwater sustainability within 20 years of adoption. A sustainable groundwater basin, as described in the SGMA, includes no groundwater depletions that have significant and unreasonable adverse impacts on beneficial uses or users of groundwater.
Present Situation
The SGMA requires evaluations of GSPs every five years that include responses to recommended corrective actions from DWR should they remain outstanding. The City coordinated the preparation of the 2024 GSP Amendment with the GWA and all other Eastern San Joaquin subbasin GSAs to respond to DWR’s Recommended Corrective Actions as set forth in their 2023 determination letter. In addition, the GWA agencies also coordinated the preparation of the first periodic evaluation (2025 Periodic Evaluation) of the GSP to be submitted to DWR.
As described in the 2024 GSP Amendment and 2025 Periodic Evaluation, the Eastern San Joaquin Groundwater Authority continues to make significant progress toward achieving the sustainability goals outlined in the original 2020 Groundwater Sustainability Plan and the 2022 Revised GSP including the following:
• Most monitoring wells show groundwater levels at or above their measurable objectives with interim milestones being met throughout the subbasin.
• Groundwater quality in the subbasin remains suitable to support beneficial uses and is expected to surpass measurable objectives with no exceedances of minimum thresholds observed.
• Groundwater quality should meet measurable objectives or minimum thresholds over the next five years.
On July 24, 2024, GWA noticed the intent to adopt the 2024 GSP Amendment pursuant to California Water Code Section 10728.4. From October 1, 2024, through October 31, 2024, a public review period welcomed comments from members of the public on the 2024 GSP Amendment.
In addition, the Water Advisory Group and Council Water Committee reviewed and recommended the submission of the 2024 GSP Amendment for the Eastern San Joaquin Subbasin to DWR at their respective meetings held on October 2, 2024 and October 10, 2024. In addition, this public hearing was publicly noticed in The Record on March 5, 2025, and March 12, 2025.
Staff recommends that the City Council, acting under its authority as the City of Stockton GSA, adopt the 2024 GSP Amendment for the Eastern San Joaquin Subbasin and authorize the GWA, its consultants, and the Plan Manager to take all necessary actions to submit the 2025 Periodic Evaluation of the subbasin to DWR.
FINANCIAL SUMMARY
Funds for this planning activity are available in the FY 2024-25 Budget in the Water Fund - Administration Division.
Future financial requirements for GSP compliance and implementation under the SGMA will be reviewed and subject to City Council approval during the annual budget development process.
There is no impact to the General Fund, or any other unrestricted fund, from this action.