Butte County Water and the General Plan

Two plans currently under revision have enormous impacts on our water supplies: Butte County General Plan 2030 and the California Water Plan 2009.

Few counties have a specific Water Element in their General Plan, but it is likely many will do so in the future and “water” may even become one of the required elements. The State Water Plan 2009 process has become focused on integrating land use, flooding, and climate change into the state plan.

When the Citizen’s Advisory Committee (CAC) added an optional “Water” element to the required elements of the General Plan, they requested information about the topic. In response, the Butte County League of Women Voters, the CSUC Institute for Sustainable Development and the BSBAGU joined to host a meeting “Groundwater & the General Plan.”

Our Board members and staff have spoken at meetings and submitted written comments aimed at supporting our mission to protect groundwater supplies.

The California Water Plan 2009 process is being closely followed by BSBAGU staff members who have attended most of the meetings held to gather information for rewriting the plan. Agendas and related documents are available on the California Water Plan 2009 website.