In 2019, an MOU to establish a regional water management group referred to as the Greater San Joaquin County Regional Water Coordinating Committee (Coordinating Committee) was executed by the County of San Joaquin, Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Stockton Environmental Justice, Central Delta Water Agency, City of Lodi, North San Joaquin Water Conservation District, Reclamation District No. 2074 (Brookside), Stockton East Water District, Delta-Sierra Group (Sierra Club), South Delta Water Agency, and South San Joaquin Irrigation District. The GSJCRWCC is a Regional Water Management Group as defined in California Water Code §10539.
It is the intent of the GSJCRWCC to develop and implement an Integrated Regional Water Management Plan (IRWMP) that meets the requirements of California Water Code §10540 and §10541. After the IRWMP has been updated (anticipated by Fall 2020), the projects in the IRWMP will be eligible for IRWM implementation grant funding.
Proposition 1 authorized $510 million in grant funds Statewide to support implementation of projects identified in an IRWMP which meets California Department of Water Resources (DWR) requirements. Out of this total, $31 million has been allocated to the San Joaquin River Hydrologic Region, of which $6.5 Million will be available within the area covered by the GSJCRWCC.
Prior to the GSJCRWCC, the Eastern San Joaquin County Groundwater Basin Authority was the Regional Water Management Group. The 2007 and 2014 Eastern San Joaquin IRWMPs were prepared under direction of the GBA. GBA has been inactive since 2017, and will be proposed to be terminated per mutual agreement of the members. The existing 2014 East San Joaquin IRWMP needs to be updated per the most recent 2016 DWR guidelines.