Water Agency

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  The Ukiah Valley Basin Groundwater Sustainability Agency website
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About Us

The Mendocino County Water Agency (Water Agency) is a special district that encompasses all of Mendocino County and is governed by the Board of Supervisors sitting as the Board of Directors. The Water Agency is administered by the Department of Transportation. The Agency’s roles include:

• The National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) - municipal separate storm sewer system (MS4) Phase II permit, for the control of storm water runoff and stormwater pollution prevention.
• The California State Groundwater Elevation Monitoring program (CASGEM) – statewide effort to track seasonal and long-term trends in groundwater elevations.
• Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) - The Water Agency represents the County in implementation of SGMA as a member of the Ukiah Valley Basin Groundwater Sustainability Agency and collaboratively developed a Groundwater Sustainability Plan for the Ukiah Valley Basin.
• Mill Creek Ponds Mussel Prevention Plan - Protect County-managed reservoirs from invasive freshwater mussels through implementation of a prevention plan.
• Drought Resilience Plan - Development of a plan to achieve meaningful and long-term improvements in water resilience for the County’s residents, particularly for state small water systems and rural communities supplied by domestic wells.

• Water Advocate – Provide the public with information regarding water resources and droughts in Mendocino County, actively communicate with federal, state, and local water agencies with regards to water related legislation and policy.

More information on the Water Agency is available in the following reports:

• 2015 Water Agency Action Plan(PDF, 4MB)
• 2022 Water Agency Implementation Plan(PDF, 4MB)
• 2023 Mendocino County Water Resources Team Technical Memo(PDF, 1MB)