Editor’s Note: The following was received from Johnny Gailey, owner of Green Acres Ag Consulting of Visalia. He has been instrumental in forming the new Delta View Water Association. This nonprofit group has come together to help growers in white areas and those in districts but without surface conveyance. Please note the yields mentioned are preliminary and not finalized.
Delta View Water Association – Google Docs
5-2-2019
Delta View Water Association (DVWA) Is forming in response the the Sustainable
Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) that was based by the State of California in 2015. The
Kaweah Sub Basin has been divided into 3 separate Groundwater Sustainability Agencies
(GSA) of which DVWA is part of the Greater Kaweah GSA. SGMA requires that a Groundwater
Sustainability Plan (GSP) be submitted to the State no later than January 2020. The main focus
of this plan is to address the overdraft of groundwater in the basin resulting in a long term
decrease in groundwater levels.
As of this date, the Greater Kaweah GSA has determined that the Native Sustainable
Yield of groundwater pumping in our basin is 0.82 Acre-Feet per Acre. Any groundwater used
above and beyond that number would have to be offset by some sort of additional groundwater
recharge. Other options would include creating additional surface water conveyance systems to
purchase surface water to use on crops or retiring land to offset water usage in the basin.
Delta View Water Association objectives are as follows:
1. To attend as many meetings as necessary to participate in the process of
developing the GSP in a way that is sustainable for long term farming of
groundwater only or limited groundwater locations.
2. To identify and develop possible future projects for recharge of
groundwater benefiting those in the Delta View Water Association.
3. To identify and develop possible future projects for conveyance and
access to existing conveyance to bring in water from other sources eg.
Kings River, Cross Creek, CVP water when it is available to benefit Delta
View Water Association Landowners.
It is the goal of the Delta View Water Association to shape a post SGMA environment
that can allow for economically sustainable farming for the long term and thus preserving the
property values and futures of the the members of the Delta View Water Association.
Johnny Gailey, 559-906-6229