SUPERVISORS TO CONSIDER JOINT JURISDICTION OF BORREGO GROUNDWATER
East County News Service
January 2, 2016 (Borrego) -On Wednesday January 6th, San Diego Supervisors’ agenda includes a public hearing on authorizing the County to become a groundwater sustainability agency, giving it jurisdiction over the Borrego Valley groundwater basin—the sole source of water for the Borrego region, jointly with the Borrego Water District.
The Borrego Valley area uses four times more groundwater than is replenished annually, on average. As a result, groundwater levels have declined over 100 feet in some parts of the Borrego Valley, due to heavy water use for irrigated agriculture, residential, and commercial users including golf courses and resorts that draw tourists to the region, as well as Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, according to a U.S. Geological Survey study on the Borrego Valley groundwater basin from 1945-2010, done in cooperation with the Borrego Water District. View study here.
The Supervisors meet at 9 a.m. on January 6th in the County Administration Building, 1600 Pacific Highway, Room 300 in downtown San Diego. The Borrego groundwater issue is first on the agenda.