Help Us Understand Local Groundwater – Volunteer Your Domestic Well for Community Monitoring

Vina Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA) is looking for domestic well owners to participate in a Community Monitoring Program.  

The Community Monitoring Program, a component of an ongoing grant-funded project to enhance the local groundwater monitoring network and fill local data gaps, will outfit volunteer wells with equipment to measure groundwater levels. The collected data will be used to help understand and protect our region’s groundwater resources for domestic well users. 

To sign up or request more information, contact:  
Becky Fairbanks 
Phone: (530) 552-3587  
Email: rfairbanks@buttecounty.net  

What is the Community Monitoring Program?

The Community Monitoring Program will install measurement equipment at volunteer domestic wells to collect valuable data about local groundwater levels and how those levels change over time. The GSA is looking for volunteers for well monitoring in several identified priority areas within the subbasin. Selected sites will have water level measurement equipment installed along with a solar-powered cellular device to transmit the data to the county, so that groundwater levels in these wells can be observed over time. 

Data collected by the Community Monitoring Program will give the GSA more data points to help understand when domestic wells could be at risk for the adverse effects of lowering groundwater levels. With more data, the GSA can employ faster and more targeted response strategies. 

Who Qualifies and Why Should You Consider Participating? 

• Protect shallow private domestic wells in your neighborhood!  
  Most local domestic wells are shallow, making them more susceptible to going dry from depressed groundwater levels than deeper wells. By volunteering your domestic well for monitoring, you will be contributing to the project goals of higher resolution domestic well data and better response if the supply of water to domestic wells is compromised. 
• Support community prosperity!  
  Groundwater is a community-wide issue, and sustainable groundwater management is critical for the local economy and individual well-being. Good information is foundational for good decision-making. Your involvement will contribute data to help safeguard these resources for the community. 
• Understand your own groundwater supply!  
  Domestic well owners are reliant on having ample groundwater supplies to be able to pump from existing wells. A more complete picture of your own groundwater level data will inform you early if you need to adjust your own well and or pump, while simultaneously assisting the GSA in understanding local groundwater supplies for all users. 
• Participation is easy and free!  
  The project and the Community Monitoring Plan are fully grant-funded, and all monitoring equipment will be purchased and installed by the GSA with project funds. Volunteer well owners just need to agree to grant access to the well to install and periodically maintain and service the measurement equipment. Though long-term installations at a volunteer well are preferred and would provide the most valuable data, volunteers can end their participation and have equipment removed at any time. 

 More Frequently Asked Questions: 

Why did I receive a mailer about this project? 
Your property may use a private domestic water well located within the Vina Subbasin. We reached out to potential well owners throughout the region to identify willing partners to support groundwater sustainability efforts through voluntary monitoring. 

What does participation involve? 
If selected, our team will visit your well to assess its suitability for monitoring. If appropriate, we will install a non-intrusive sensor that measures water level. Data is collected remotely and does not interfere with nor monitor your well use. Site visits are minimal, and our team handles all equipment-related tasks. 

Is there a cost? 
No. The program is completely free. 

Is my personal information kept private? 
Yes. Your name and contact information will be kept private. 

Will you be monitoring my water usage? 

No. Only water levels will be measured. 

Why is this project important? 
Monitoring household wells helps ensure rural households are represented in groundwater planning. The more we know about how groundwater behaves in different parts of the basin, the better we can protect wells like yours from future shortages or declines. 

What is SGMA? 
The Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) is a California law passed in 2014 that requires local agencies to sustainably manage groundwater. It was created to ensure long-term water reliability in areas where people rely heavily on wells—like here in Butte County. 

To sign up or request more information, contact us today! 

Contact:  
Becky Fairbanks 
Phone: (530) 552-3587  
Email: rfairbanks@buttecounty.net  

About the Project 

Several grant-funded projects are underway in the Vina subbasin, managed by the GSA in partnership with local and state agencies. One of these ongoing grant projects, the Data Gap Identification and Data Improvement project, aims to enhance the understanding of the Vina subbasin's conditions by installing monitoring sites and equipment, focusing on groundwater levels in domestic wells and implementing a Community Monitoring Program. In addition, grant-funded work will prepare the five-year GSP Periodic Evaluation and support engaging with the public through various outreach efforts. 

About the Vina GSA 

The Vina GSA was established in 2017 to meet the requirements of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), which mandates the local management of groundwater resources. As a locally controlled entity, the Vina GSA is responsible for implementing the measures outlined in the Vina Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP) to ensure long-term sustainability for our communities, agricultural economy, and the environment. 

The Vina GSA is governed by a Board composed of a Butte County Supervisor, Chico City Councilor, Board member of Durham Irrigation District, and an appointed agricultural and domestic well user representatives, for a total of five members.  The agency is responsible for implementing groundwater sustainability measures as defined under the SGMA and as identified in the State-approved Vina Groundwater Sustainability Plan, along with the Rock Creek Reclamation District GSA. The GSA works to ensure adequate groundwater supplies to support rural areas and communities, the agricultural economic base of the region, and environmental uses now and in the future.