HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC 2026-03-10_09d NCMA Technical Group Strategic PlanItem 9.d.
MEMORANDUM
TO: City Council
FROM: Bill Robeson, Assistant City Manager/Director of Public Works
BY: Shannon Sweeney, City Engineer
SUBJECT: Northern Cities Management Agency (NCMA) Technical Group
Strategic Plan
DATE: March 10, 2026
RECOMMENDATION:
Receive and file the 2025 NCMA Technical Group Strategic Plan (Plan).
IMPACT ON FINANCIAL AND PERSONNEL RESOURCES:
None.
BACKGROUND:
The Northern Cities Management Area (NCMA) is comprised of the cities of Arroyo
Grande, Grover Beach, and Pismo Beach, as well as the Oceano Community Services
District/ The NCMA has a history of cooperative management of shared water resources.
The Northern Cities initiated collaborative management of the Santa Maria Groundwater
Basin (SMGB) in 1983 with the development of the Agreement Regarding Management
of the Arroyo Grande Groundwater Basin. In 1997, the SMGB became subject to litigation ,
and the 2005 Stipulation established the NCMA (in addition to two other management
areas, the Nipomo Mesa Management Area, primarily the Nipomo area; and the Twitchell
Management Authority, primarily in Santa Maria ) under court oversight.
The NCMA Technical Group is responsible for meeting the monitoring and reporting
requirements associated with the Stipulation and continues to work together to manage
groundwater and surface water supplies for a population of approximately 46,000
residents and hundreds of thousands of visitors each ye ar.
In 2025, the NCMA Technical Group completed an update to its strategic plan. The
strategic plan builds on prior plans finalized in 2014 and 2020, and is the result of a series
of strategic planning workshops that occurred over the past year. Workshops were held
with members of the Technical Group and executive management from each NCMA
member agency. The purpose of the plan is to articulate the group’s mission, align the
Page 31 of 87
Item 9.d.
City Council
Northern Cities Management Agency (NCMA) Technical Group Strategic Plan
March 10, 2026
Page 2
goals of the member agencies, and guide future initiatives that maintain and enhan ce
sustainable groundwater management.
ANALYSIS OF ISSUES:
The NCMA Technical Group Strategic Plan is a document that guides the multi-agency
collaboration by defining the group’s mission and documenting the many roles and
responsibilities of NCMA stakeholders. The NCMA Technical Group’s mission is to
“preserve and enhance the sustainability, quality, and affordability of water supplies for
the Northern Cities Area through science-based groundwater management, supply
reliability, cooperative management, adaptive management, proactive monitoring, and
cost-effective supplies.”
To translate mission into action, the Plan describes three primary objectives:
1. Enhance water supply reliability;
2. Support effective water resource management; and
3. Conduct effective outreach and regional coordination.
These objectives are met through core tasks, which include:
Quarterly monitoring of water levels and water quality;
Preparation of the annual groundwater monitoring report ;
Annual collaboration with agricultural representatives, and
Sustained internal/external engagement.
The Plan identifies and prioritizes strategic initiatives that achieve the primary objectives.
A weighting and scoring process was completed collaboratively by the Technical Group
to prioritize strategic initiatives according to four criteria:
Reliability & sustainability;
Enhanced management;
Cost effectiveness; and
Ease of implementation.
This weighting and ranking process is intended to be flexible and adaptive as conditions
change, providing a framework for the Technical Group to prioritize and implement the
highest-priority initiatives as time and budgets allo w. An implementation plan is included
to outline required actions, participants, estimated budgets, and timeframes for each
initiative.
ALTERNATIVES:
The following alternatives are provided for the Council’s consideration:
1. Receive and file the Plan; or
2. Provide other direction to staff.
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Item 9.d.
City Council
Northern Cities Management Agency (NCMA) Technical Group Strategic Plan
March 10, 2026
Page 3
ADVANTAGES:
The NCMA Strategic Plan defines the purpose of the Technical Group and will guide
efforts over the next five years as its member agencies seek to maintain and enhance
regional collaboration on water resources management and deliver safe, reliable, and
affordable water to their communities.
DISADVANTAGES:
There are no disadvantages identified at this time.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW:
The NCMA Strategic Plan is exempt from CEQA on the basis that it can be seen with
certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have a significant
effect on the environment. (State CEQA Guidelines, § 15061, subd. (b)(3).) The
development of the Plan itself will have no effect on the environment, and environmental
review will be conducted for each of the projects identified in this Plan, if necessary.
PUBLIC NOTIFICATION AND COMMENTS:
The Agenda was posted at City Hall and on the City’s website in accordance with
Government Code Section 54954.2.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. NCMA Strategic Plan
Page 33 of 87
NORTHERN CITIES MANAGEMENT AREA TECHNICAL GROUP
Strategic Plan
DECEMBER 2025
Prepared for:
City of Arroyo Grande
City of Grover Beach
Oceano Community Services District
City of Pismo Beach
ATTACHMENT 1
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The Northern Cities Management Area Strategic Plan was prepared through a cooperative effort
of the Northern Cities Management Area Technical Group:
Shannon Sweeney, PE,
City Engineer
Shane Taylor, Utilities
Manager
Gregory Ray, PE, Public
Works Director / City
Engineer
Peter Brown, General
Manager
Rosemarie Gaglione,
PE, Director of Public
Works
Additional contribution was provided by:
David O’Rourke, PG,
CHG, PE
Michael McAlpin, PG
Jim Garing, PE Nate Page, PG, CHG Sam Schaefer, PE
Facilitated By:
Michael Steele, PE
Kendall Stahl, PE
Jeffery Szytel, PE
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DECEMBER 2025
Strategic Plan
Northern Cities Management Area Technical Group | i
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1.0 Introduction and Purpose ................................................................................................ 1
2.0 Background ..................................................................................................................... 1
3.0 Mission and Responsibilities ............................................................................................ 2
4.0 Objectives of the NCMA TG ............................................................................................ 3
5.0 Ongoing Initiatives ........................................................................................................... 4
6.0 Strategic Initiatives .......................................................................................................... 5
7.0 Implementation Plan ........................................................................................................ 8
Appendix A Boundary Maps ................................................................................................. A
Appendix B Related Organizations and Initiatives ................................................................ B
LIST OF TABLES
Table 1: Evaluation Criteria and Weighting Factors .................................................................... 4
Table 2: Evaluation Criteria and Weighting Factors .................................................................... 5
Table 3: Qualitative Evaluation Criteria and Score Descriptions ................................................. 5
Table 4: NCMA TG Key Strategies and Scoring ......................................................................... 7
Table 5: Implementation Plan ..................................................................................................... 9
Table 6: Related Organizations .................................................................................................. D
Table 7: Related Initiatives ......................................................................................................... D
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1: NCMA Agency Service Area Map ............................................................................... B
Figure 2: SMGB Management Area Boundary Map ................................................................... C
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1.0 Introduction and Purpose
The Northern Cities Management Area (NCMA) Technical Group (NCMA TG) developed the
NCMA TG Strategic Plan (Strategic Plan) for the purpose of providing the NCMA TG with:
➢ A Mission Statement to guide future initiatives;
➢ A framework for communicating water resource goals; and
➢ A formalized Work Plan for the next 10 years
The first NCMA TG Strategic Plan was finalized in 2014. The plan was then updated in 2020. This
2025 update was developed over a series of strategic planning sessions and NCMA TG meetings.
2.0 Background
The Northern Cities, comprised of the Oceano Community Services District and the cities of
Arroyo Grande, Grover Beach and Pismo Beach, have a long history of cooperative management
of shared water resources, and continue to actively work together to manage groundwater and
surface water supplies for a population of approximately 46,000 residents and hundreds of
thousands of visitors each year. The service areas for each of the Northern Cities are shown in
Appendix A. The Northern Cities initiated collaborative management of the Santa Maria
Groundwater Basin (SMGB) in 1983, with the development of the Agreement Regarding
Management of the Arroyo Grande Groundwater Basin (Gentlemen’s Agreement). The
Gentlemen’s Agreement defined the safe yield for the Northern Cities portion of the SMGB and
allocated the available water to the urban and agricultural users.
In 1997, the SMGB became subject to litigation and in 2002 the Northern Cities, the Northern
Landowners, and Other Parties entered into a Settlement Agreement, which reaffirmed the
Gentlemen’s Agreement. Subsequently, the Northern Cities and other Parties entered into the
2005 Stipulation, which formally divided the SMGB into three management areas: the Northern
Cities Management Area (NCMA); the Nipomo Mesa Management Area (NMMA); and the Santa
Maria Valley Management Area (SMVMA). The boundaries of each of the management areas are
shown in Appendix A. The Superior Court of California later adopted the Stipulation in its January
25, 2008 Judgment After Trial (Judgment). On November 21, 2012, the California Court of Appeal
(Sixth Appellate District) upheld the Superior Court’s Judgment. The California Supreme Court
later refused to hear the case – upholding the Appellate Court’s decision.
The Stipulation requires that each Management Area develop a monitoring program that must
include data collection and monitoring sufficient to determine land and water uses within the
management area, sources of supply to meet those uses, groundwater conditions including
groundwater level and quality, the amount and disposition of Developed Water supplies, and the
amount and disposition of other sources of water supply. This information must be presented to
the Court in an annual report that summarizes the results of the monitoring program, changes in
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Northern Cities Management Area Technical Group | 2
groundwater supplies and any threats to groundwater supplies. In 2009, the Northern Cities
formed the Northern Cities Management Area Technical Group (NCMA TG), comprised of
technical staff from each of the agencies and selected consultants, to coordinate their efforts for
the monitoring program and the annual report.
As part of their collaborative management, the Northern Cities split the costs for the monitoring
program, the annual report and staff extension services, based upon each agency’s percentage
of the groundwater basin safe yield. The NCMA TG’s operating budget for these tasks is
approximately $315,000 per year. The overall annual budget varies year by year based upon the
different initiatives pursued by the NCMA TG.
In addition to the preparation of the Annual Report, the NCMA TG works collaboratively with the
other jurisdictions and regional groups to manage water supplies within southern San Luis Obispo
County. Roles and responsibilities within the NCMA are defined in Section 3.0 and Appendix B
outlines the NCMA TG’s relationship with the related agencies, groups, committees,
organizations, agreements and initiatives. In coordination with the other regional groups and on
its own, the NCMA TG actively pursues opportunities to enhance the sustainability of water supply
resources within the NCMA.
3.0 Mission and Responsibilities
The NCMA TG exists to help guide ongoing initiatives and to capture the requirements outlined
in the Gentlemen’s Agreement, Settlement Agreement and the Stipulation.
NCMA Mission Statement
Preserve and enhance the sustainability, quality, and affordability of water supplies for the
Northern Cities Area by:
➢ Managing groundwater resources using science-based approaches
➢ Enhancing supply reliability
➢ Advancing the legacy of cooperative water resources management
➢ Promoting adaptive management
➢ Protecting water quality and supply through proactive monitoring
➢ Maintaining cost-effective water supplies
NCMA Roles and Responsibilities
A list of various parties and their respective responsibilities in the management of water resources
in the Northern Cities Management Area include:
Agricultural Representatives
• Meet with NCMA Technical Group to collaborate on basin management
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Legal Counsel
• Work under the direction of the NCMA agencies
• Protect NCMA water rights and advance NCMA legal interests
• Develop legal frameworks for regional collaboration between NCMA agencies
NCMA Agency Governing Bodies and Executive Leadership
• Engage the public
• Lead policy direction
• Strengthen regional partnerships
NCMA Technical Group
• Represent NCMA agencies
• Meet court-mandated monitoring and reporting requirements
• Perform technical analysis and develop solutions to relevant issues
• Proactively evaluate and recommend sustainable management practices
Public
• Inform NCMA agency priorities
• Elect NCMA agency governing bodies
San Luis Obispo County
• Enforce stipulation in areas outside the NCMA agencies’ service areas
• Collect and provide monitoring data for NCMA monitoring program
Santa Clara County Superior Court
• Enforce the Santa Maria River Valley Groundwater Basin Stipulation and Judgement
• Arbitrate disagreements between stipulating parties
4.0 Objectives of the NCMA TG
Through the strategic planning process, the NCMA TG identified several key objectives to guide
future efforts. These objectives include:
1. Enhance Water Supply Reliability
o Develop coordinated response plan for seawater intrusion and other supply
emergencies
o Support implementation of projects and initiatives that increase water supply
reliability
o Prepare the Northern Cities for prolonged drought conditions
o Adaptively manage pumping from the groundwater basin in response to changing
conditions
o Mitigate threats to groundwater sustainability
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2. Support Effective Water Resource Management
o Effectively manage water resources through conjunctive use and other strategies
o Encourage collaboration between technical/legal/managerial teams
o Abide by the legal/regulatory groundwater management requirements
o Support understanding of current and historic groundwater conditions to inform
water resources initiatives
3. Conduct Effective Outreach and Regional Coordination
o Maintain effective cooperation and information sharing to further the objectives of
the NCMA agencies
o Reinforce the role of the NCMA TG as the recognized technical expert for water
resources within the Northern Cities Management Area
5.0 Ongoing Initiatives
The NCMA TG leads multiple ongoing initiatives that are required regularly by the Stipulation and
Judgement or are recurring in nature. These initiatives form the foundation of the NCMA TG’s
work and are summarized in Table 1.
Table 1: Evaluation Criteria and Weighting Factors
NCMA TG Regular Initiatives Description
Quarterly Monitoring
Quarterly monitoring of water level and water quality in
the NCMA Sentry/Monitoring Wells. Includes continuous
water level and water quality monitoring using pressure,
Electroconductivity (EC) and temperature transducers.
Annual Report
Development of an Annual Report on groundwater
conditions within the NCMA, as required by the
Stipulation and Judgment for the Santa Maria
Groundwater Basin.
NCMA & Agricultural
Representatives Collaboration
Prepare and deliver Annual presentation to the NCMA
agricultural representatives on the findings from the last
NCMA Annual Report as well as updates on current
groundwater and surface water related projects.
Maintain Internal and External
Engagement
Maintain Executive Management engagement with TG
and support Agency outreach to the public on NCMA
priorities.
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6.0 Strategic Initiatives
In addition to completing ongoing initiatives, the NCMA TG regularly seeks to identify strategic
initiatives that further the objectives of the NCMA TG, in alignment with its mission and
responsibilities. The NCMA TG utilized a weighted qualitative ranking process to develop and
guide these priorities. Building on initiatives and criteria from previous strategic plans, the NCMA
TG developed a list of potential initiatives to consider during the evaluation process and
developed four (4) criteria to score and rank the initiatives. Weighting factors were determined for
each evaluation criteria as detailed in Table 2 based on alignment with the NCMA TG’s mission,
responsibilities, and objectives.
Table 2: Evaluation Criteria and Weighting Factors
Evaluation Criteria Weighting Factor
Reliability and Sustainability 4
Enhanced Management 3
Cost Effectiveness 2
Ease of Implementation 2
Each of the initiatives was scored on a scale from one (low score) to three (high score) on each
evaluation criteria, guided by the descriptions in Table 3.
Table 3: Qualitative Evaluation Criteria and Score Descriptions
Evaluation
Criteria 1 (Low Score) 2 (Middle Score) 3 (High Score)
Reliability and
Sustainability
Implementation may
not significantly add to
sustainability or
reliability of water
resources; initiative
benefits may be a
challenge to maintain
in perpetuity.
Anticipated to provide
sustained benefits to
the basin with ongoing
maintenance and/or
effort.
Anticipated to provide
sustained benefits to
the basin and be easy
to maintain once set
into motion.
Enhanced
Management
Maintains existing
management
tools/strategies.
Augments existing
management
tools/strategies.
Introduces new
management
tools/strategies.
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Evaluation
Criteria 1 (Low Score) 2 (Middle Score) 3 (High Score)
Cost
Effectiveness
Lower benefit to cost
ratio anticipated –
often may include
creation of new
resources or physical
infrastructure with
significant investment.
Balanced benefit to
cost ratio anticipated –
significant monetary
investment may be
required, but effort
anticipated to result in
equally significant
benefits.
Higher benefit to cost
ratio anticipated –
benefits easily
outweigh the monetary
costs
Ease of
Implementation
Complex – many
stakeholders and/or
significant uncertainty
requiring considerable
effort to overcome;
implementation
timeline of multiple
years.
Intermediate –
challenges anticipated
to be navigable mostly
with existing
resources;
implementation
timeline of months to a
few years.
Easy – minimal outside
stakeholders;
implementation
timeline of months.
The combination of the initiative score for each criteria and
the weighting factors were then utilized to develop a score
and prioritized rank for each initiative, as shown in Table 4
(and in the spreadsheet embedded in the blue box to the
right). Prioritization of key strategies is envisioned to be
dynamic and change over time. It is recommended that the
NCMA TG review and update strategic initiatives and their
respective scoring periodically, especially in the context of
future significantly changed conditions.
Scoring and Ranking
Spreadsheet
(Click icon below in digital versions)
Initiative Scoring
and Ranking.xlsx
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Table 4: NCMA TG Key Strategies and Scoring
Weighting Factor 4 3 2 2
Ranking Strategic Initiative Description Key Objective
Reliability
and
Sustainability
Enhanced
Management
Cost
Effectiveness
Ease of
Implementation Total
Planned
Implementation
Timeline
1 Implement Management
Agreement
Adopt Management Agreement Update and Adaptive
Groundwater Management Plan
Support Effective Water
Resource Management
3 3 3 2 31 Short Term
(0-5 Years)
2 Groundwater Model
Management Scenarios
Utilize model to simulate regional groundwater
management scenarios
Support Effective Water
Resource Management
2 3 3 3 29 Short Term
(0-5 Years)
3 Intertie Plan Complete Intertie Plan for NCMA Enhance Water Supply
Reliability
2 3 2 3 27 Short Term
(0-5 Years)
4 Supplemental Water
Supply Projects
Explore/implement cost-effective supplemental water
supply project(s)
Enhance Water Supply
Reliability
3 3 1 1 25 Long Term
(5+ Years)
5 NCMA Legal Strategy Develop legal strategy to protect NCMA rights Enhance Water Supply
Reliability
3 2 2 1 24 Short Term
(0-5 Years)
6 Conjunctive Use Plan Develop a Conjunctive Use Plan to optimize use of
available groundwater storage including Advanced Water
Purification Facility projects that can recharge the basin
Support Effective Water
Resource Management
2 2 2 2 22 Short Term
(0-5 Years)
6 NCMA Managerial/Legal
Framework for
Development Review
Improve managerial & legal coordination on new
development outside the NCMA Agencies’ service areas
Conduct Effective Outreach
and Regional Coordination
2 2 2 2 22 Short Term
(0-5 Years)
8 Decommission
Monitoring Well
Decommission the damaged OCSD Yellow monitoring
well to protect against potential contamination
Support Effective Water
Resource Management
2 1 2 3 21 Short Term
(0-5 Years)
9 Water Quality Data Expand water quality base to include all NCMA water
quality data
Support Effective Water
Resource Management
1 2 2 3 20 Short Term
(0-5 Years)
9 Groundwater Dashboard Develop real-time groundwater dashboard Support Effective Water
Resource Management
1 2 2 3 20 Short Term
(0-5 Years)
9 Construct Monitoring
Well
Complete an additional deeper monitoring well in the
Cienga Valley
Support Effective Water
Resource Management
2 2 1 2 20 Short Term
(0-5 Years)
12 Infrastructure Resiliency
Analysis
Prepare an Infrastructure Resiliency Analysis Conduct Effective Outreach
and Regional Coordination
2 1 2 2 19 Long Term
(5+ Years)
12 Develop Full Basin
Groundwater Model
Complete Phase 2 groundwater model for the SMGB Support Effective Water
Resource Management
1 3 1 2 19 Long Term
(5+ Years)
14 Stormwater Capture
Feasibility Study
Complete a Stormwater Capture Feasibility Study Enhance Water Supply
Reliability
1 2 2 2 18 Long Term
(5+ Years)
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7.0 Implementation Plan
Utilizing the ranked and grouped initiatives, the NCMA TG developed an implementation plan for
the key strategies. Included in the implementation plan are the required actions to complete each
initiative, key participants, an estimated budget and an implementation time frame. Table 5
includes the details for the Implementation Plan developed by the NCMA TG.
The short-term time frame designation refers to initiatives that could be completed within 5 years.
Nine (9) initiatives were identified as short-term initiatives, potentially implemented within the next
0-5 years. The long-term time frame refers to initiatives that are expected to take longer than 5
years to implement. Five (5) initiatives were identified as long-term initiatives.
Costs are typically shared for strategic NCMA TG initiatives in the same way as ongoing annual
costs. These costs are typically divided between agencies according to their current share of
groundwater allocation for urban use. The current share of allocation by agency is:
• Arroyo Grande – 31%
• Grover Beach – 32%
• Oceano Community Services District – 21%
• Pismo Beach – 16%
It is recommended that the agencies review this implementation plan at least annually, ideally
prior to each agency’s budget setting process, and update the plan based on the most recent
available information.
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Table 5: Implementation Plan
Ranking Strategic Initiative Description Key Objective Implementation
Term Required Actions Participants Estimated
NCMA Budget
1 Implement Management
Agreement
Adopt Management Agreement
Update and Adaptive Groundwater
Management Plan
Support Effective Water
Resource Management
Short Term (0-5
Years)
1. Finalize Agreement
2. Approve Agreement
NCMA agencies, Managers,
Legal Counsel
Previously
Budgeted
2 Groundwater Model
Management Scenarios
Utilize model to stimulate regional
groundwater management scenarios
Support Effective Water
Resource Management
Short Term (0-5
Years)
1. Scope scenario
2. Evaluate scenario NCMA agencies $25,000/year
3 Intertie Plan Complete Intertie Plan for NCMA Enhance Water Supply
Reliability
Short Term (0-5
Years)
1. Develop RFP(s)
2. Hire consultant
3. Update existing hydraulic models
4. Develop intertie model
5. Develop agreements
6. Design intertie upgrades
7. Construct intertie upgrades
NCMA agencies,
SLOCFC&WCD $43,000
4 Supplemental Water
Supply Projects
Explore/implement cost-effective
supplemental water supply projects
Enhance Water Supply
Reliability
Long Term (5+
Years)
1. Complete Design
2. Obtain permits
3. Construction
NCMA agencies,
SLOCFC&WCD, RWQCB,
CDPH, CCC, DWR,
TBD
5 NCMA Legal Strategy Develop legal strategy to protect
NCMA rights
Enhance Water Supply
Reliability
Short Term (0-5
Years)
1. Update summary of legal history
2. Legal counsel develops strategy
3. Conduct as-needed technical
analysis and groundwater modeling
NCMA TG and Managers,
Legal Counsel
$30,000 plus
NCMA Legal
Counsel Time
6 Conjunctive Use Plan
Develop a Conjunctive Use Plan to
optimize use of available groundwater
storage including Advanced Water
Purification Facility projects that can
recharge the basin
Support Effective Water
Resource Management
Short Term (0-5
Years)
1. Develop RFP
2. Hire Consultant
3. Develop Conjunctive Use Plan
NCMA agencies, Managers,
SLOCFC&WCD $128,000
6
NCMA Managerial/Legal
Framework for
Development Review
Improve managerial & legal
coordination on new development
outside the NCMA Agencies’ service
areas
Conduct Effective
Outreach and Regional
Coordination
Short Term (0-5
Years)
1. Evaluate current managerial/legal
framework
2. Develop revised framework for
managerial/legal coordination
NCMA TG and Managers,
Legal Counsel
In-Kind NCMA
Agency Staff
Time
8 Decommission
Monitoring Well
Decommission damaged OCSD
Yellow monitoring well to protect
against potential contamination
Enhance Water Supply
Reliability
Short Term (0-5
Years)
1. Develop RFP (Construction
Management)
2. Hire Contractor
3. Decommission monitoring well
NCMA TG $28,000
9 Water Quality Data Expand water quality base to include
all NCMA water quality data
Support Effective Water
Resource Management
Short Term (0-5
Years)
1. Contract Work
2. Develop expansion plan
3. Expand water quality data
NCMA agencies,
SLOCFC&WCD, Ag
Representatives
$38,000
9 Groundwater Dashboard Develop real-time groundwater
dashboard
Support Effective Water
Resource Management
Short Term (0-5
Years)
1. Compile data and create
dashboard NCMA agencies $15,000
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Ranking Strategic Initiative Description Key Objective Implementation
Term Required Actions Participants Estimated
NCMA Budget
9 Construct Monitoring
Well
Complete additional deeper monitoring
well in the Cienga Valley
Support Effective Water
Resource Management
Long Term (5+
Years)
1. Develop RFP (Design/Planning)
2. Planning/Design new monitoring
well
3. Hire Contractor
4. Install new monitoring well
NCMA agencies,
SLOCFC&WCD $638,000
12 Develop Full Basin
Groundwater Model
Complete Phase 2 Groundwater Model
for the SMGB
Support Effective Water
Resource Management
Long Term (5+
Years)
1. Define model objectives
2. Identify funding
3. Potential interim steps
4. RFP(s)
NCMA agencies, NMMA
agencies, SMVMA agencies,
SLOCFC&WCD
$319,000
12 Infrastructure Resiliency
Analysis
Prepare an Infrastructure Resiliency
Analysis
Conduct Effective
Outreach and Regional
Coordination
Long Term (5+
Years)
1. Develop RFP
2. Hire consultant
3. Compile data and analyze
4. Prioritize vulnerabilities and
opportunities
5. Define terms and agreements
6. Prepare infrastructure Resiliency
analysis TM summarizing results
NCMA agencies,
SLOCFC&WCD, Zone 3 $51,000
14 Stormwater Capture
Feasibility Study
Complete a Stormwater Capture
Feasibility Study
Enhance Water Supply
Reliability
Long Term (5+
Years)
1. Develop RFP
2. Hire Consultant
3. Prepare Stormwater Capture
Feasibility Study
NCMA agencies $128,000
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Boundary Maps
Strategic Plan
Northern Cities Management Area Technical Group | A
Appendix A Boundary Maps
A
Page 47 of 87
Boundary Maps
Strategic Plan
Northern Cities Management Area Technical Group | B
Figure 1: NCMA Agency Service Area Map
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Boundary Maps
Strategic Plan
Northern Cities Management Area Technical Group | C
Figure 2: SMGB Management Area Boundary Map
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Related Organizations and Initiatives
Strategic Plan
Northern Cities Management Area Technical Group | B
Appendix B Related Organizations
and Initiatives
B
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Related Organizations and Initiatives
Strategic Plan
Northern Cities Management Area Technical Group | D
Descriptions of related organizations and a description of their relationship with the NCMA TG are summarized in Table 6.
Table 6: Related Organizations
Related Agencies, Groups,
Committees, Organizations,
Agreements, and Initiatives
Description Northern Cities
Participants Relationship to NCMA TG
Nipomo Mesa Management Area
Technical Group (NMMA TG) Technical group tasked with monitoring and reporting on groundwater conditions in the NMMA. None Monitoring party for the neighboring
NMMA
Twitchell Management Authority Management group tasked with monitoring and reporting of groundwater conditions in the Santa Maria Valley
Management Area (SMVMA). None Monitoring party for the SMVMA
SLO County San Luis Obispo County N/A County Government for the NCMA
SLOCFC&WCD District to provide water resource management and flood control services including studies, programs, and
weather and hydrological data collection and compilation. N/A Manages NCMA surface water
supplies
SLOCFC&WCD Zone 3 District to fund operation of the Lopez Project. All Northern Cities Related organization in which the
Northern Cities participate
SLOCFC&WCD Zone 1/1A District to fund enhanced maintenance and operation efforts of the Arroyo Grande and Los Berros Channels
within Zone 1/1A.
OCSD, Arroyo Grande,
Grover Beach
Related organization that the some of
Northern Cities participate in
Water Resource Advisory
Committee (WRAC)
Advisory Board to advise the County Board of Supervisors concerning all policy decisions related to the water
resources of the SLO County Flood Control & Water Conservation District. All Northern Cities Related organization that the Northern
Cities participate in
Regional Water Management
Working Group (RWMG)
Management group to develop and implement the Integrated Regional Water Resources Management Plan
Update. All Northern Cities Related organization that the Northern
Cities participate in
Central Coast Water Authority
(CCWA)
Joint powers authority responsible for the operation and maintenance of the Polonio Pass WTP and the Coastal
Branch Pipeline. None
Wholesale water provider that treats
and delivers SWP water to SLO
County and its SWP sub-contractors
Arroyo Grande Creek Watershed
MOU
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) amongst 14 agencies to develop recommendations to fund programs
and develop policies for the maintenance, protection, and enhancement of the Arroyo Grande Watershed and
the creeks within the Watershed including the approximate eighty-six (86) square mile area downstream of the
Lopez Lake Dam, and including but not limited to, Arroyo Grande, Los Berros, Newsome Springs, Corbett
Canyon/Tally Ho, Tar Springs, and Meadow Creeks and sub-watersheds (collectively the "Watershed"), and to
recommend specific roles and responsibilities to implement those programs and policies
All Northern Cities Related organization that the Northern
Cities participate in
LAFCO
Local Agency Formation Commission with the power to "approve or disapprove with or without amendment,
wholly, partially, or conditionally" proposals concerning the formation of cities and special districts and other
changes of jurisdiction or organization of local government agencies.
None
Commission with authority over local
agency annexations and other
changes of jurisdiction
Coastal San Luis RCD Resource Conservation District that offers a variety of programs to assist farmers, ranchers, landowners and
other watershed users in improving and protecting soil and water resources. None RCD which boundary includes the
NCMA
Arroyo Grande Creek Habitat
Conservation Plan (HCP)
Planning documents required as part of an application for an incidental take permit. HCP under the Endangered
Species Act provides a framework for people to complete projects while conserving at-risk species of plants and
animals. The Arroyo Grande Creek HCP is necessary to comply with the Endangered Species Act and is a
prerequisite of a State-required amendment to Lopez Projects water rights permit.
All Northern Cities, via
Zone 3
Related to long-term sustainability of
the Northern Cities surface water
supply from Zone 3
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Related Organizations and Initiatives
Strategic Plan
Northern Cities Management Area Technical Group | D
There are multiple initiatives throughout the region that align with the NCMA TG’s objectives.
The NCMA TG has a long history of collaborative water supply management and aims to
support related initiatives as appropriate for the benefit of regional water supply and its users.
Related initiatives and their lead agencies or organizations are summarized in Table 7.
Table 7: Related Initiatives
No. Initiative Lead Organization/Agency
1
Construction of an advanced water
purification facility for indirect potable
reuse
Pismo Beach
2 Implementation of the Nipomo
Supplemental Water Project Nipomo Community Services District
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