Water Purchase Agreement with North San Joaquin Water Conservation District
Summary
SCH Number
2025070764
Public Agency
Woodbridge Irrigation District
Document Title
Water Purchase Agreement with North San Joaquin Water Conservation District
Document Type
NOE - Notice of Exemption
Received
Posted
7/18/2025
Document Description
On July 10, 2025, the Board of Directors for WID approved a Water Purchase Agreement with NSJWCD. WID and NSJWCD are both Ground Water Sustainability Agencies with adjacent service areas and shared landowners and growers, and an interest in achieving ground water sustainability. NSJWCD is unlikely to receive an allocation of water under its rights for 2025, whereas WID expects to receive its full 60,000 acre-feet allocation for 2025 and may have some water available to transfer as a result of fallowing farmland and interim conservation measures in WID. If water is available, NSJWCD would divert water from existing facilities and used for irrigation or recharge activities in NSJWCD on existing irrigated lands or in existing recharge facilities.
Contact Information
Name
Keith Bussman
Agency Name
Woodbridge Irrigation District
Job Title
General Manager
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency / Project Applicant / Parties Undertaking Project
Phone
Email
Location
Counties
San Joaquin
Regions
Countywide
Zip
95253
Other Location Info
NSJWCD GSA
Notice of Exemption
Exempt Status
Other
Type, Section or Code
14 Cal. Codes Regs., 15061 (b)(3) (commonsense exemption)
Reasons for Exemption
The Project is exempt from environmental review under CEQA, Public Resources Code section 21000 et seq., and Title 14 of the California Code of Regulations, section 15000 et seq. ("State CEQA Guidelines"). The Agreement is not a "project'' under State CEQA Guidelines section 15378, subdivision .. (a) because the diversion and delivery of up to 3,000 acre feet of WID water by NSJWCD will not result in any physical change in the environment. \VII) water will be made available to NSJWCD only to the extent it is not needed by existing WID water users, so the sale will not result in physical changes within WID. NSJWCD will use its existing diversion facilities and deliver the water to existing irrigated lands or recharge facilities, so the sale will not result in physical changes within NSJWCD. Any changes in diversions or deliveries related to the Agreement will be within the parties' historical operating parameters. The Agreement is within the categorical exemption in State CEQA Guidelines section 15301. It will involve the use of existing water diversion and deliverv infrastructure with negligible or no expansion of existing or former use. The Agreement also meets the commonsense exemption in State CEQA Guidelines section 15061, subdivision (b)(3). It can be seen with certainty there is no possibility of a significant effect because the diversion ofWID water by NSJWCD will not result in any physical changes in the environment. None of the exceptions to the categorical exemptions in State CEQA Guidelines section 15300.2 apply. There is no reasonable possibility the Agreement would have a significant effect on the environment due to unusual circumstances, and the cumulative impact of successive projects of the same type in the same place, over time is not significant.
Exempt Status
Categorical Exemption
Type, Section or Code
Class 1, 14 Cal. Code Regs., § 15301 (existing facilities)
Reasons for Exemption
The Project is exempt from environmental review under CEQA, Public Resources Code section 21000 et seq., and Title 14 of the California Code of Regulations, section 15000 et seq. ("State CEQA Guidelines"). The Agreement is not a "project'' under State CEQA Guidelines section 15378, subdivision .. (a) because the diversion and delivery of up to 3,000 acre feet of WID water by NSJWCD will not result in any physical change in the environment. \VII) water will be made available to NSJWCD only to the extent it is not needed by existing WID water users, so the sale will not result in physical changes within WID. NSJWCD will use its existing diversion facilities and deliver the water to existing irrigated lands or recharge facilities, so the sale will not result in physical changes within NSJWCD. Any changes in diversions or deliveries related to the Agreement will be within the parties' historical operating parameters. The Agreement is within the categorical exemption in State CEQA Guidelines section 15301. It will involve the use of existing water diversion and deliverv infrastructure with negligible or no expansion of existing or former use. The Agreement also meets the commonsense exemption in State CEQA Guidelines section 15061, subdivision (b)(3). It can be seen with certainty there is no possibility of a significant effect because the diversion ofWID water by NSJWCD will not result in any physical changes in the environment. None of the exceptions to the categorical exemptions in State CEQA Guidelines section 15300.2 apply. There is no reasonable possibility the Agreement would have a significant effect on the environment due to unusual circumstances, and the cumulative impact of successive projects of the same type in the same place, over time is not significant.
County Clerk
San Joaquin
Attachments
Notice of Exemption
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