Receive presentation on the Healthy Rivers and Landscapes Program and a related salmon recovery and groundwater resiliency project proposed by the Yolo County Flood Control District; consider a proposed letter expressing Board support for the project. (No general fund impact) (Pogledich)

The purpose of this presentation is to provide the Board of Supervisors with information about the Healthy Rivers and Landscapes Program ("HRL"), focusing on its potential effects on agricultural and municipal water supplies within Yolo County and the broader region. The presentation will also include information about a related, locally led project developed by the Yolo County Flood Control and Water Conservation District ("District"). The HRL Program is one of several alternatives under consideration by the State Water Resources Control Board ("SWRCB") in its ongoing effort to update the Bay-Delta Water Quality Control Plan ("Bay-Delta Plan"). District General Manager Kristin Sicke will lead the presentation, which will also include detail on local effects of HRL versus other proposals--including the 55% "unimpaired flow" alternative--under consideration by the SWRCB. Other presenters may include David Guy (President, Northern California Water Association), Tim Busch (General Manager, Woodland-Davis Clean Water Agency), and Roger Cornwall (Commissioner, RD 108). The presentation is expected to help inform ongoing County advocacy efforts relating to the HRL Program and the Bay-Delta Plan update process.

Additionally, General Manager Sicke has requested Board consideration of a letter (Attachment A) supporting a District project proposal (described in Attachment B) developed as its contribution toward HRL Program goals. Staff recommend approval of the letter of support, which is limited in scope to the District's project and does not express broad or unqualified support for the HRL Program overall. Staff continue to advocate for a cautious approach to the HRL Program more generally, as much HRL restoration activity in Yolo County could be led by state agencies (such as the California Department of Water Resources) and cause local impacts that far exceed those arising in most other jurisdictions affected by the HRL Program. Among other things, such projects could permanently remove land from local tax rolls and cause various economic impacts—including the loss or reduction of farming on affected parcels and a reduction in related local economic activity (such as labor, processing and distribution services, and spending on farm equipment and supplies). Very few other counties will experience similar local impacts. For these and other reasons, the proposed letter of support is drafted to support the District's initiative while refraining from expressing a broader position on the HRL Program.

County Counsel and CAO collaborated internally and with the Yolo County Flood Control and Water Conservation District.