The Fox Canyon Groundwater Management Agency (FCGMA) manages and protects both confined and unconfined aquifers within all or portions of four groundwater basins underlying the southern portion of Ventura County. The FCGMA is an independent special district, separate from the County of Ventura or any city government. It was created by the California Legislature in 1982 to oversee Ventura County’s vital groundwater resources. The boundary covers 183 square miles, and all lands lying above the deep Fox Canyon aquifer account for more than half of the water needs for over 700,000 residents in the cities of Ventura, Oxnard, Port Hueneme, Camarillo, and Moorpark, plus the unincorporated communities of Saticoy, El Rio, Somis, Moorpark Home Acres, Nyeland Acres, Point Mugu and Montalvo.
Our offices are located in the Water Resources Division Ventura County Government Center Administration Building. For maps and directions to the FCGMA office, click here.
Supervisor Carmen Ramirez
The Fox Canyon Groundwater Management Agency is deeply saddened by the sudden and untimely passing of Ventura County Supervisor and Fox Canyon GMA Board member Carmen Ramirez. At the August 24, 2022 Board of Directors meeting, we honored Director Ramirez’s service to the Agency with Resolution 2022-04. She will be remembered for her endless list of passions and dedication to good government, social justice and the environment.
We would like to extend our sincerest condolences to her family, friends, colleagues, and the community for we have all suffered a tremendous loss.
DWR Approves Groundwater Sustainability Plan for the Las Posas Valley Basin
DWR Approves Groundwater Sustainability Plans for Oxnard and Pleasant Valley Basins
Online Payments
Please note that online payments for semi-annual extraction statements will be unavailable after October 9, 2021.
Ordinance to Establish a New Pumping Allocation System for the Las Posas Valley Basin
The Agency Board of Directors adopted an ordinance to establish a new interim groundwater extraction allocation system for the Las Posas Valley Basin on December 14, 2020. The ordinance replaced the extraction allocations established under the Agency Ordinance Code and Emergency Ordinance E and became effective October 1, 2021. The ordinance will be interim and in effect until such time as the court completes adjudication of the Basin.
More information on the LPV Allocation Ordinance is available here.
Notice of Extraction Fee Increase
At the October 28, 2020 Fox Canyon Groundwater Management Agency Board meeting, the Board of Directors adopted Resolution 2020-05 imposing a fee of $20.00 per acre-foot (AF) on groundwater extractions to augment a reserve fund used to pay the costs and expenses of legal actions and proceedings related to implementation of the Agency’s groundwater sustainability program.
This additional $20.00 per AF groundwater extraction charge is imposed on all operators, other than operators extracting 2 AF or less per year for domestic use, for a period of four years, effective January 1, 2021.
Collection of this fee will cease on October 1, 2024, absent action by the Board to extend or advance that termination date. In addition, the Agency will conduct annual reviews to consider continued need for the fee.
This new fee raises Agency extraction fees from the current total of $20 per AF to a total of $40 per AF for extractions beginning January 1, 2021; the fee for domestic operators extracting 2 AF per year or less remains at $6 per AF.
The Resolution, rationale, and analysis for the new fee, and Board discussion are available here.
Notice of Surcharge Rate Increase
At the December 02, 2020 Fox Canyon Groundwater Management Agency Board meeting, the Board of Directors adopted Resolution 2020-07 increasing the Agency’s tierd surchage rates, effiective January 1, 2021.
The new tiered surcharge rates are as follows:
- Tier I: Zero to 25.000 AF = $1,549 per AF
- Tier II: 25.001 AF to 99.999 AF = $1,799 per AF
- Tier III: 100 AF or more = $2,049 per AF
OPV Allocation Variance Review Committee
The Allocation Variance Review Committee provides recommendations to the Board on requests for new and additional allocation above that which has been previously extracted. Granting additional allocation would affect the allocations of the other extractors in the basin. For that reason, the Board appointed an OPV Variance Review Committee to evaluate these types of variance requests and provide recommendations for the Board’s consideration.
DWR SGMA Data Viewer
The California Department of Water Resources (DWR) maintains a Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) Data Viewer which stakeholders may find useful. It is a GIS system viewer that displays groundwater levels in wells, land subsidence, basin boundaries, and other useful information. DWR has a video tutorial on YouTube.
New Public Notice
Please click here to view a new public notice regarding a comprehensive groundwater basin adjudication.