Basin Governance and Decision-Making

The GSA for the Basin was formally established as the Owens Valley Groundwater Authority in May 2018. The OVGA is a joint exercise of powers agency composed of Inyo County, City of Bishop, Indian Creek-Westridge Community Service District (CSD), and Big Pine CSD. Each of these members has water supply, water management, or land use responsibilities, and is thus eligible to individually form a GSA. The document forming the Owens Valley Groundwater Authority allows for tribes, federal agencies, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, PUC regulated private water companies, and other interested parties to have a voting role in GSA decision making. The OVGA has two Interested Party seats for the Lone Pine Paiute Shoshone Tribe and the Owens Valley Committee.

The OVGA is administered by a governing board consisting of one primary appointment and one alternate from each member agency. All OVGA Board of Director meetings are public, noticed, held and conducted in accordance with the Ralph M. Brown Act open and public meeting law. The Board may occasionally establish ad hoc committees for the purpose of making recommendations to the Board on the various activities of the Authority.

OVGA decisions will be informed through staff direction, development of recommendations from ad hoc committees, and input from technical consultants. Furthermore, the OVGA and their staff representatives will engage with Basin stakeholders through the strategies outlined in this plan to help inform the OVGA’s decisions.