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Cabrillo Town Center <br />WATER SUPPLY ASSESSMENT FEBRUARY 13, 2023 <br />16 <br />If a groundwater sustainability agency has adopted a groundwater sustainability plan or <br />has an approved alternative, a copy of that alternative or plan. <br />The OC Basin (also referred to as Basin 8-1) has been designated as a medium-priority basin <br />which requires this WSA to address or include information regarding the bullets above. As <br />mentioned, SGMA provides authority for agencies like OCWD to develop and implement <br />Groundwater Sustainability Plans or alternative plans (“Alternatives”) that demonstrate the <br />basin has operated within its sustainable yield over a period of at least 10 years. OCWD decided <br />to submit an Alternative for evaluation by the California Department of Water Resources <br />(DWR). An Alternative is required to be submitted to DWR for review no later than January 1, <br />2017, and every 5 years thereafter. In general, Alternatives must be consistent with one of the <br />following (Water Code §10733.6(b)): <br />A plan developed pursuant to Part 2.75 (commencing with Section 10750) or other law <br />authorizing groundwater management. <br />Management pursuant to an adjudication action. <br />An analysis of basin conditions that demonstrates that the basin has operated within its <br />sustainable yield over a period of at least 10 years. The submission of an alternative <br />described by this paragraph shall include a report prepared by a registered professional <br />engineer or geologist who is licensed by the state and submitted under that engineer’s <br />or geologist’s seal. <br />OCWD prepared an Alternative that satisfies the third bullet point above to prove the OC Basin <br />has operated within its sustainable yield over a period of 10 years. This Alternative was <br />approved by DWR level in July 2019. The Basin 8-1 Alternative is included in Appendix C of this <br />WSA. The Alternative states that Basin 8-1 has operated within its sustainable yield for more <br />than 10 years without experiencing significant and unreasonable (1) lowering of groundwater <br />levels, (2) reduction in storage, (3) water quality degradation, (4) seawater intrusion, (5) <br />inelastic land subsidence, or (6) depletions of interconnected surface water that have <br />significant and unreasonable adverse impacts on beneficial uses of the surface water. In <br />addition, Basin 8-1 has not been in conditions of critical overdraft. DWR has one year to <br />evaluate the Basin 8-1 Alternative. The paragraphs below will further explain how OCWD <br />successfully manages the OC Basin to meet these new groundwater monitoring and <br />managements. <br />OCWD manages the Basin through the Basin Production Percentage (BPP) which is determined <br />each water year. The BPP is set bason on groundwater conditions, availability of imported <br />water supplies, water year precipitation, SAR runoff, and basin management objectives. The <br />BPP represents an established percentage identifying the amount of groundwater all pumpers <br />in the Basin can pump without paying a “pumping tax” or Basin Equity Assessment (BEA) to <br />OCWD. For example, if the BPP is set to 75 percent, all pumpers within the Basin, including the <br />City, can supply 75 percent of their water needs form the groundwater supplies at a cost <br />significantly less than the cost of imported water. If groundwater production is equal to or less