Voluntary groundwater trading efforts gain steam
Specific to the role that government should play to enable well-managed groundwater trading, Fienup said that SGMAprovides a really good foundation. “SGMA recognizes the importance of local management and that local water users and local regulators have infor- mation that’s just not available at larger scales—that’s essential to sustainable management,” Fienup said. Others suggested that the government has a role in providing funding for tech- nical assistance.
Of the lessons learned, Fienup said it is important to be mindful about the financial and human resources needed to successfully manage this type of pro- gram, noting that “in most cases, these are time-sensitive deals, so we have to turn things around quickly. Even though we’re not involved in the negotiations in itself, we legitimize the deal so we can’t be slow to process it.” (Chr i s t ine Souza i s an ass i s tant editor of Ag Alert. Shemay be contacted at csouza@cfbf.com.)
ByChristine Souza State agencies and interest groups are working to develop a voluntary ground- water trading program as a tool to aid water managers and farmers. The effort seeks to protect aquifers under the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act by bringing threatened supplies into balance. “Due to historic overdraft, there’s just not enoughwater,” saidJustinFredrickson, California FarmBureau Federation envi- ronmental policy analyst. “In addition to supply, we need to be looking at demand. Groundwater trading is a potential way to allow pumpers to create flexibility and manage scarcity within a basin without major new physical infrastructure. It’s re- ally an accounting exercise.” Speaking before the California Water Commission last week, TaraMoranof the Water DataConsortiumsaid the purpose of thework to advance a groundwater-ac- counting and budgeting platform is “to make (the platform) broadly accessible for groundwater sustainability agencies and other agencies to use voluntarily to support local, regional and state water management decisions.” The project was co-developed by the Rosedale Rio-Bravo Water Storage District and the Environmental Defense Fund, and is a partnership that also in- cludes the Water Data Consortium, Ca l i f o rn i a Depa r tment o f Wa t e r Resources and the state water board. Commissioners heard from water managers from California, Texas and Nebraska who addressed water trading issues such as safeguards for vulnerable water users, stakeholder engagement, governance and oversight, and the gov- ernment’s role. AnnDimmit, IntegratedManagement Planmanager for the Twin PlatteNatural Resources District in Nebraska, said her district connects willing buyers and sell- ers and has been overseeing water trans- fers for about 15 years. “The biggest piece for us is having a clearly defined set of rules, in which all growers are treated equally and those rules help us protect the environment and sometimes even the farmers them- selves,” Dimmit said. Matthew Fienup, integral to designing the Fox Canyon Water Market, spoke on behalf of the Fox Canyon Groundwater ManagementAgency. FoxCanyon intend- ed to implement awatermarket as part of its groundwater sustainability plan. “Really clear objectives are the start- ing point for any design process. Those require rules to achieve those objectives and an effective governance system,” Fienup said. Accurate water-use data is also important, Fienup said, adding that theremust be an approach for unintend- ed consequences. While protecting water needs of com- munities, the environment and small- scale farmers, Fienup said, a disadvan-
taged community should not have to rely onmarket prices to secure basic needs. “Once a basin commits to a regime around water trading or pumping, obvi- ously then there need to be safeguards to protect disadvantaged communities and groundwater-dependent ecosystems,” Fienup said.
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August 25, 2021 Ag Alert 3
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