Big Valley Basin Agricultural Managed Aquifer Recharge Pilot Study

The temporary 5-year permit will allow the GSAs to divert and use up to 650 acre-feet per diversion season, at a maximum rate of 10 cubic feet per second, from three points of diversion from Ash Creek and the Pit River. Diversion is authorized from December 1 to March 14 each year, beginning (per applicant request) on January 1, 2026. The water would be infiltrated into underground storage using on-farm recharge and later extracted for municipal, domestic, and irrigation purposes with the Big Valley area. Diversions will occur at times of high streamflow, based on the Board’s Method 1 (90/20) approach. A public notice of Application T033518 was issued and the Board and GSAs did not receive any objections. The Board also found that this temporary permit is consistent with the suspension of CEQA in EO N-7-22.