Final Alternative Plan Update

The Mission Creek Subbasin 2022 Alternative Plan is currently under periodic evaluation. This periodic review evaluates progress toward sustainability, examines the effectiveness of current management actions, incorporates updated data, and ensures the basin remains on track to meet long-term sustainability goals. This process is required every five years to maintain compliance with SGMA and demonstrate to the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) that the plan continues to meet SGMA’s requirements for sustainable groundwater management. The updated plan must be submitted by January 1, 2027. 

The most recent version of the plan currently is the 2022 Alternative Plan Update which can be found here: Volume I – Alternative Plan Update Report and Volume II – Alternative Plan Update Appendices A-I. 

Background

The Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) requires Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSAs) in medium- or high-priority groundwater subbasins to have an approved Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP) or Alternative Plan to manage the subbasin. The Mission Creek Subbasin, which was designated as medium-priority by the State of California Department of Water Resources (DWR), is unique in that it is one of only nine subbasins throughout the State with an approved Alternative Plan. SGMA also requires that GSAs be established to develop and implement the Alternative Plan. In the Mission Creek Subbasin, the two GSAs are the Coachella Valley Water District (CVWD) and the Desert Water Agency (DWA). The two agencies are also working together with Mission Springs Water District (MSWD) as the Mission Creek Subbasin Management Committee (see Home > Management Committee page) to prepare an update to their approved Alternative Plan.

Overview of Alternative Plan

The Mission Creek Subbasin Management Area was initially formed in 2003 when CVWD and DWA entered into the Mission Creek Groundwater Replenishment Agreement for cooperative groundwater management. Building on years of collaboration and planning, the agencies prepared the 2022 Mission Creek Subbasin Alternative Plan, which updated and refined the earlier management strategies to comply with SGMA requirements. This plan serves as the current roadmap for achieving long-term groundwater sustainability in the Mission Creek Subbasin, detailing basin conditions, management actions, and sustainability criteria. In 2016, a Bridge Document was also developed to demonstrate the functional equivalence of prior planning efforts with SGMA’s requirements, paving the way for the approved 2022 Alternative Plan. The Mission Creek Subbasin Management Committee remains committed to sustainably managing the basin’s water resources to reliably meet demand and protect water quality. 

The Mission Creek Subbasin Management Committee developed the following Mission Statement:

“The purpose of the Mission Creek and Garnet Hill Water Management Plan is to manage the water resources to meet demands reliably and protect water quality in a sustainable and cost-effective manner.”

The 2022 Mission Creek/Garnet Hill Water Management Plan water management objectives are shown below. 

The water management objectives of the 2022 Mission Creek/Garnet Hill Water Management Plan are to:
• Meet current and future demands with a 10% supply buffer
• Eliminate long-term groundwater overdraft
• Manage and protect water quality
• Comply with state and federal laws and regulations
• Manage future costs

In January 2022, the Mission Creek Subbasin Management Committee submitted an updated Alternative Plan to DWR that built upon the 2013 Mission Creek/Garnet Hill Water Management Plan and prior planning efforts. This update responded to DWR’s recommendations and provided new data and analysis to ensure continued progress toward sustainability. The 2022 Alternative Plan was approved by DWR in July 2023. The Committee is now preparing the next required periodic update, which is due by January 1, 2027. In January 2017, the Mission Creek Subbasin Management Committee collaboratively submitted the 2013 Mission Creek/Garnet Hill Water Management Plan and supporting materials as an Alternative Plan for the Mission Creek Subbasin. The Alternative Plan was approved by the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) on July 17, 2019. With this approval, DWR made several recommendations for new information and a requirement that the first Alternative Plan Update be prepared by January 1, 2022.

The Alternative Plan is available for review here. Key reports are shown below.

Alternative Plan Update

SGMA requires that GSPs and Alternative Plans be updated every five years. Because the Mission Creek Subbasin Alternative Plan was submitted in 2022, an update must be prepared by 2027. DWR gave the GSAs a deadline of January 1, 2027 for submittal of an Alternative Plan Update. 

The Mission Creek Subbasin GSAs updated and submitted the Mission Creek Subbasin Alternative Plan Update to DWR in December 2021. The update ensured that population growth, land use changes, and other future conditions are incorporated in water management planning in the region. The Alternative Plan Update analyzed groundwater pumping and recharge volumes (the basin’s “water balance”) to understand the GSA’s progress in maintaining groundwater sustainability. 

The Mission Creek Subbasin GSAs may make other changes in the Plan Update to ensure the plan meets SGMA requirements and that DWR recommendations have been considered. 

Common Acronyms
CVWD = Coachella Valley Water District
DWA = Desert Water Agency
DWR = California Department of Water Resources
GSA = Groundwater Sustainability Agency
GSP = Groundwater Sustainability Plan
MSWD = Mission Springs Water District
SGMA = Sustainable Groundwater Management Act

Upcoming Meetings

There are no upcoming meetings scheduled for 2025.

Date & Time	Name	Location	Meeting Materials
July 15, 2020	2022 Missions Creek Subbasin Alternative Plan Update workshop #1	Virtual
October 22, 2020	2022 Missions Creek Subbasin Alternative Plan Update workshop #2	Virtual
May 11, 2021	2022 Missions Creek Subbasin Alternative Plan Update workshop #3	Virtual

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