Yreka, Calif. — The first groundwater advisory committee in Siskiyou County has now been authorized, with the Siskiyou County Board of Supervisors passing a resolution Tuesday creating a committee in the Scott Valley.

County Counsel Thomas Guarino stated that the committee, which is granted no authority under the resolution or ordinance allowing for its creation, was crafted in order to provide input on groundwater issues from people living and working in the valley.

According to the resolution, the committee will be composed of 11 to 13 members representing various parts of the Scott River basin.

On hand at the meeting were residents of Scott Valley offering suggestions for how the resolution might be changed and what issues they felt should be made a priority, including Tom Pease, who stated that he believes the committee should determine where groundwater is coming from when discussing what impacts the use of the water is having.

Protect Our Waters member Liz Bowen and valley resident Bev Slaughter both expressed a concern that creating the committee in an adjudicated basin would be illegal under California’s Assembly Bill 3030.

AB 3030, represented in the California Water Code by sections 10750-10756, pertains to the creation of groundwater management plans, according to the California Department of Water Resources website. While advisory committees are not mentioned in the code, Guarino told the board that he would research the issue and determine whether or not the committee would stand up under the bill.

District 3 Supervisor Michael Kobseff noted that he would like confirmation regarding the issue of AB 3030 before approving the resolution, but District 1 Supervisor Jim Cook stated that he wanted to see a motion and that the board could retract the resolution if needed.

Ultimately, the board decided to approve the resolution, with some language changes, including the addition of the term “voluntary” for participation in the program, as well as language allowing for the county to provide for some of the administrative costs of running the committee if needed.

Cook explained during the meeting that he would assess the Scott basin committee to understand how to move forward in other basins, such as the Tulelake and Butte groundwater basins, where he feels pressing issues will drive the need for adoption of resolutions in those areas.