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Eastern San Joaquin Groundwater Basin Groundwater Management Plan Northeastern San Joaquin County Section 1 Groundwater Banking Authority 30 Introduction 1964 and a final agreement in 1970 guaranteeing 56.5% of New Hogan Reservoir’s yield to the District. Prior to 1963, the SEWD’s basic financial structure rested upon a tax on land. In 1963, the Governor of California signed a bill that established groundwater use fees and surface water charges that could be levied by the SEWD. The additional revenues were used by the SEWD to contract for New Hogan water. The SEWD began registering wells within their boundaries. Check dams were built on the Calaveras River, Mormon and Mosher Sloughs for control of surface irrigation water and to promote groundwater recharge. SEWD became actively involved in the pursuit of projects to mitigate declining groundwater levels and to prevent the further intrusion of saline groundwater. In 1971, SEWD boundaries were expanded to include the entire Stockton urban area. SEWD began plans for a 30 MGD treatment plant to serve the urban area. In 1975, a $25 million bond issue was passed by the SEWD wide election to fund the water treatment plant. The plant was completed in 1977 and went on line in 1978 to reduce the groundwater pumping depression under the urban area and the affects of saline intrusion on urban wells near the Delta. In 1979 the Independent Benefit Commission concluded that the treatment plant was a benefit to the planning areas. SEWD began to assess 14,000 af of additional agricultural acres. The total area within SEWD is approximately 116,300 acres, of which 47,600 acres (approximately 41%) are within the City of Stockton. WID and SEWD share approximately 9,700 acres in North Stockton. SEWD has actively sought supplemental surface water from the American River via the Folsom South Canal and from the New Melones Reservoir. Efforts to obtain the American River supply have been thwarted by the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), EBMUD litigation and the Freeport Regional Diversion Project litigation. The District and Central San Joaquin Water Conservation District (CSJWCD) contracted with the USBR in 1983 for 75,000 and 80,000 af of water respectively from New Melones Reservoir. In 1983, the District expanded surface water irrigation with the construction of the 12,000 gpm Potter Creek Pump Facility. The Water Treatment Plant capacity was increased in 1991 to accommodate increased demand from the Stockton Urban areas. Construction on the New Melones Conveyance System was completed in 1994. Under the Central Valley Project Improvement Act (CVPIA), the USBR provided no water to SEWD in 1993 and 1994. In 1995 SEWD began receiving New Melones water, but less than the contracted amount because of the Miller-Bradely bill requirements regarding water quality issues on the San Joaquin River and fish flows. Legal action is ongoing. Under current USBR operation of New Melones, SEWD and CSJWCD are provided up to 90,000 af water from New Melones annually. Water allocation is based on March-September water forecast plus February end-of-month storage in New Melones. In 1995, SEWD adopted an AB3030 Groundwater Management Plan. The goal of their Plan is to continue past efforts to seek supplemental surface water supplies for conjunctive use, to protect existing supplies, and to further pressure the USBR to meet the contracted delivery amounts for New Melones water. In 1997, the District entered into a water transfer agreement with Oakdale Irrigation District (OID) and South San Joaquin Irrigation District (SSJID). This agreement is for 8,000 to 30,000 af allocation based on New Melones storage and inflow as of April 1 of each year. The contract period ends 2009 with a possible 10-year renewal pending further studies.