On May 9, 2016, Governor Brown issued Executive Order B-37-16 which builds upon the temporary statewide emergency water restrictions aimed at water conservation measures. As part of implementing this Executive Order (EO), an Agricultural Advisory Group (AAG) was established to advise State Agencies on the EO’s implementation, which requires consultation with agricultural stakeholders.
As part of that initiative, RCRC was asked to serve on the AAG. The first meeting was yesterday, and consisted of (1) an overview of the current regulatory and statutory criteria; (2) soliciting comments on the existing Agricultural Water Management Plans (AWMP); and (3) if or how the AWMPs might be improved. (Note: an Urban Advisory Group has also been convened for a similar review of urban water use efficiency programs.)
The AAG is made up of a wide variety of stakeholders representing the breadth of interests from the Farm Bureau to irrigation districts to NGOs. For the most part, the AAG members focused their comments on (1) the opportunity to streamline this data request with others required by such programs as SGMA, the Irrigated Lands program and the AWMP; (2) the challenges with finding the financial resources to support the various data requests; and (3) if rural communities and small districts are going to meet the service expectations laid out in the EO, the need for a timeline for implementation that reflects the resource limitations in these communities.
Two more meetings are planned for the AAG over the next three months with a final report due from the Department of Water Resources by January 17, 2017.