This Scott Valley Groundwater Study Plan (GW Study Plan) has been requested of Siskiyou County and its Scott Valley stakeholders, as set forth in the Action Plan for the Scott River Temperature Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) (adopted Dec. 2005 by the California North Coast Regional Water Board [RWB]). The Action Plan sets forth the elements to be contained in this GW Study Plan; it also sets forth the needs of the RWB for certain information to be developed from the groundwater studies set forth in the GW Study Plan. It has been agreed by Siskiyou County and Regional Water Board staff that the hydrology of the entire valley needs to be understood in order to know the possible array of solutions to any water issues or problems in the Scott Valley. Siskiyou County with its management jurisdiction over groundwater (the RWB has water quality jurisdiction over groundwater under the Porter-Cologne Act) will take a community based approach to groundwater management planning and to implementing this GW Study Plan.

Data, information, and analysis are needed through studies to understand the groundwater hydrology of the Scott River system and its relationship to surface hydrology, especially in areas where groundwater could affect Scott River water temperatures, potential riparian vegetation, and habitat connectivity for anadromous fish. Without knowledge of the overall groundwater hydrology of Scott Valley, solutions to specific issues outlined in the TMDL Action Plan and the Scott River Watershed Council (SRWC) Strategic Action Plan will not be possible. It will be more cost effective to discover and prevent problems before they occur. Baseline data will be needed to determine the best approach in the design and implementation of water projects and water management alternatives and strategies to protect anadromous fish while also protecting the other beneficial uses, including the needs of agricultural operations. Much of this information will need to be developed over a period of time necessary to have a sufficient record from which to discover and test feasible and effective management strategies.