Following yesterdays meeting, the Memorandum of Understanding in regards to the Groundwater Sustainability Plan was unanimously agreed between all parties.

Working in conjunction with the Borrego Water District, the State of California requires that the Plan be complete by 2020.

The Supervisors' action also included a $500,000 appropriation to fund the development of the Plan during 2016-17 which will be used to hire a consultant to finalize requirements already laid out in existing tech requirements and respond to Request for Proposals for drafting and finalizing the GSP amongst other things.

The Plan changes the economics of groundwater. "Currently the district and farmers, believe there is no cost for groundwater" stated Lyle Brecht, "water in the basin will now have a cost. It's an existential problem for the whole community."

The Borrego Springs basin has been critical for many years, irrigation being one of the factors, the plan will introduce practical limitations. Producers will "attribute cost in a rational way in order to waste less water by spending capital to do the same amount of work in order to use less" according to Brecht.

Approximately 4 million has already been spent over the last five years paid for by rate payers and state agencies, setting out the technical requirements needed to fulfill the plan and this agreement is the final step.

Brecht stated "Borrego Springs is one of the few communities in a position to solve our problem. We're in a very good situation if we're willing to work together."