Advancing NASb Sustainable Groundwater Management - Component 4 &5: Groundwater Monitoring Wells Construction
Summary
SCH Number
2025050284
Public Agency
Sacramento Groundwater Authority
Document Title
Advancing NASb Sustainable Groundwater Management - Component 4 &5: Groundwater Monitoring Wells Construction
Document Type
NOE - Notice of Exemption
Received
Posted
5/7/2025
Document Description
In 2014, the State of California adopted the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) to help manage its groundwater. The SGMA established the framework for managing groundwater resources in medium and high priority groundwater basins. Local Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSAs) were tasked to manage their
groundwater resources in accordance with a Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP). The North American Subbasin (NASb or Subbasin) is a high priority basin established under SGMA and is managed under the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) approved GSP. A critical component of groundwater management under the GSP is having and maintaining a monitoring network to track groundwater conditions.
The Sacramento Groundwater Authority (SGA), as the lead GSA, received funding for this project through the SGMA Implementation Grant agreement (Agreement No.4600015622) with the DWR. Components 4 and 5 (Proposed Project) of this grant agreement included funds for siting, drilling, and constructing monitoring wells to supplement the NASb's monitoring network. These wells will support monitoring of groundwater levels, groundwater dependent ecosystems, and interconnected groundwater and surface water.
SGA, at the request of West Placer, Sutter County, South Sutter Water District, and Reclamation District 1001 (RD 1001) Groundwater Sustainability Agencies, is planning to construct four deep monitoring wells and four shallow monitoring wells to further characterize groundwater conditions in the Subbasin. The NASb covers the area from the Bear River to the American River and from the foothills to the Sacramento and Feather Rivers, which extends over three counties. The Proposed
Project would improve the NASb GSA's monitoring networks.
The deep groundwater levels monitoring wells will be completed using a drill rig, portable drilling fluid tank, trailer used to transport drill rods, water truck, and support truck. The drilling and construction of each monitoring well is expected to be completed within ten working days, with all four wells expected to
be completed in two months' time. Final well construction details are determined based on site conditions, but expected designs are single to triple completion 2.5" diameter schedule 80 PVC wells constructed to depths up to 400 feet. The final footprint of the monitoring wells will be either: 1) a 12" diameter steel vault, elevated above ground surface and surrounded by a 4x4 foot concrete pad and bollards or 2) a 12" diameter traffic rated flush grade vault.
The shallow monitoring well work will be completed using a drill rig, trailer used to transport augers, and support truck. The drilling and construction of each monitoring well is expected to be completed within three working days, with all four wells expected to be completed within a months' time. Each well will be a single completion monitoring well constructed to depths up to 60 feet, although final well depths are determined based on site conditions. The final footprint of the shallow monitoring wells will be either: 1) an 6" diameter steel vault, elevated above ground
surface and surrounded by a 4x4 foot concrete pad and bollards or 2) a 5" diameter traffic rated flush grade vault.
The monitoring wells will provide groundwater information to support and implement long-term sustainable groundwater planning and management and inform projects to help the GSP meet the sustainable groundwater management goals of the Subbasin under the GSP.
Contact Information
Name
Raiyna Villasenor
Agency Name
Sacramento Groundwater Authority
Job Title
Senior Project Manager
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency
Phone
Email
Location
Coordinates
Cities
Counsman, Natomas, Nicolaus, Lincoln, Roseville, Sacramento
Counties
Placer, Sacramento, Sutter
Regions
Citywide, Countywide
Cross Streets
Many - please see notes.
Zip
unknown
Total Acres
0.65
Parcel #
021-010-034, 017-020-038-000, 35-330-026, 274-0190-037, 034-140-006-000, 225-0140-050
State Highways
Garden Highway,160, 99, 70, I-5
Railways
Capital Corridor
Airports
None
Schools
North Sacramento Elementary, Smythe Academy, Leroy Green Academy
Waterways
Sacramento River, American River, Feather River
Township
9N,
Range
3E, 4E
Section
6, 7,
Other Location Info
Mount Diablo Principal Meridian
CLGWL MW-100 near Brewer Road (38.918825, -121.451789), CLGWL MW-101 near Pleasant Grove Road (38.765712, -121.490482), GDE MW-100 near Rio Grande Drive (38.738483, -121.593223), GDE MW-101 near Railroad Drive (38.604761, -121.469338), GDE MW-102 near Scheiber Road (38.916134,
-121.569725), GDE MW-103 near Vernon Road (38.794053, -121.606539), SWD MW-100 near Duckhorn Drive (38.633978, -121.525676) and WPMW-14 near Sunset Boulevard (38.824214, -121.404938).
Other Information
Township - 10N, 11N, 12N. Range - 5E. Section - 14, 15, 35
Notice of Exemption
Exempt Status
Categorical Exemption
Type, Section or Code
CEQA Guidelines 15306: Information Collection; 15304: Minor Alternations to Land; and 15307: Actions by Regulatory Agenc
Reasons for Exemption
This project is exempt as defined in Section 15306 of CEQA Guidelines which states that a project may be exempt from CEQA as a Class 6 exemption if it "consists of
... basic data collection, research, experimental management, and resource evaluation activities which do not result in a serious or major disturbance to an environmental resource. These may be strictly for information gathering purposes, or as part of a study leading to an action which a public agency has not yet approved, adopted, or funded." Also applicable is Section and 15304 (Class 4 - minor alterations to land). These Exemption classes allow for the construction of small new facilities or structures and minor alterations in the condition of land, water or vegetation.
In the identification of monitoring well sites, consideration has been given to potential sensitive habitats and locations, and these areas have been avoided. During the development of this Notice of Exemption, a desktop survey, site visit, and cultural database review were conducted. The desktop survey and cultural database review included information from the California Natural Diversity Database (CNDDB), National Wetland Inventory, Cortese list of hazardous materials sites, and a records search from the North Central Information Center. Following the results of these investigations, it was determined that the proposed wells will be installed in already developed or disturbed areas that do not contain sensitive resources or result in minor, temporary alterations to the land but would not have a significant effect on the
environment and for these reasons Categorical Exemptions apply.
County Clerks
Placer, Sacramento, Sutter
Attachments
Notice of Exemption
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