Frequently Asked Questions 

Fee Study FAQ Final .docx

General Information

What is the Wyandotte Creek Groundwater Sustainability Agency?

The Wyandotte Creek Subbasin, identified as a medium-priority groundwater basin by the Department of Water Resources, is managed solely by the Wyandotte Creek Groundwater Sustainability Agency (WCGSA). Formed through a Joint Powers Agreement (JPA) between Butte County, the City of Oroville and Thermalito Water and Sewer District, the WCGSA operates under a five member Board of Directors. The Board includes representatives from each member agency’s governing board and an appointed agricultural user and a domestic well user.

What is the role of the Wyandotte Creek Groundwater Sustainability Agency?

The WCGSA role is to implement groundwater sustainability measures as defined under the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SMGA) and as identified in the State-approved Wyandotte Creek Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP). The WCGSA performs monitoring activities, prepares and submits annual reports and periodic evaluations as required by SGMA, and manages investigative studies that improve the understanding of the groundwater subbasin. Proactive groundwater management today ensures an adequate quantity and quality water supply to support rural areas and communities, the agricultural economic base of the region, and environmental uses now and in the future.

 What is the current Wyandotte Creek GSA budget?

The current fiscal year 2025/26 (FY 25/26) budget is $214,500 which funds the GSA’s administrative, operational and management costs. The budget supports the facilitation of ongoing GSP implementation and SGMA-related compliance actions necessary to locally manage groundwater resources.

 How is the WCGSA currently funded?

In 2023, a comprehensive fee study was completed which resulted in a fee structure that was adopted by the Board of Directors (Board). The current fee structure is based on three different types of User Classes: Non-Irrigated, Irrigated Surface Water Users, and Irrigated Groundwater Users. Fees are charged per-acre based on the user classification to all taxable lands within the GSA boundary regardless of land use type (rangeland, agricultural, residential or commercial use, etc.)

The fee for the current fiscal year 2025/26 is $0.88 per acre for Non-irrigated acres; $7.82 per acre for Irrigated Surface Water Users; and $12.30 per acre for Irrigated Groundwater Users.

Are grant funds available from the State to fund GSA activities and projects?

Initially, the State provided planning grants to GSAs to assist with the costs of preparing GSPs; the Butte County Department of Water and Resource Conservation managed the grant and consultant team that prepared the Wyandotte Creek Subbasin GSP which was approved in 2023. However, the GSA has other costs including GSA administrative costs, SGMA compliance costs and GSP implementation activities and projects. GSA administrative and SGMA compliance costs are not grant funded activities and therefore are the responsibility of the GSA. As a result, the Wyandotte Creek GSA established a fee in 2023 to collect the revenue needed to cover the GSA administrative costs and regulatory actions needed to comply with SGMA.

The Wyandotte Creek GSA does actively pursue grants to implement projects identified in the GSP. The GSA has received SGMA grant funding for the GSA’s Regional Conjunctive Use Project and Data Gap Information and Data Improvement Project. The GSA will continue to evaluate and pursue other grant funding sources as they become available.

2025/2026 Fee Study Information

If a Fee was adopted in 2023, why a new Fee Study?

In 2025, the Board provided direction to conduct a new Fee Study to explore fee options that consider the characteristics of different groundwater users within the subbasin. A new fee structure would replace the current fee and provide greater flexibility to respond to SGMA regulations while meeting the diverse needs of groundwater users in the Wyandotte Creek subbasin. The goal of the Fee Study is to have a new fee in place for the next fiscal year, starting July 2026.

Do I need to pay the current fee listed on my tax bill?

Yes. The current fee was legally adopted by the Board and the amount is collected via property tax bills and therefore is required to be paid.

Will the current fee study result in a different fee structure and fee amount?

Possibly. The 2025/26 Fee Study is looking at several factors in determining funding options and will consider the unique needs of groundwater management beneficiaries within the Wyandotte Creek subbasin in development of a different fee structure. Considerations include availability and reliability of data to confidently calculate a different fee; demographic and geographic data; and the different types of groundwater uses.

How will the revised fee be determined?

The fee study will consider the diverse range of groundwater users within the GSA’s boundaries and other factors in determining funding structure options, such as land use, community characteristics, and groundwater use. Thorough outreach with stakeholders, representatives of groundwater users, WCGSA’s Advisory Committee and Board of Directors will help determine significant considerations to examine while vetting fee options including who should be charged and the most equitable fee structure.

What benefits do fee payors receive from the fee?

The fee supports the WCGSA in being compliant with SGMA, which is mandatory, and supports priority projects and management actions needed to secure a dependable, long-term supply of groundwater in the subbasin. By being self-funded, the agency maintains local control over groundwater management, ensuring that decisions are made that directly benefit the community. As a result, fee payors benefit from having a reliable, sustainable water supply for agricultural, residential, and environmental uses, which is vital for the prosperity and security of all who rely on groundwater.

What is the benefit of paying a groundwater fee if not a groundwater user?

In the Wyandotte Creek Subbasin, both surface and groundwater are used for domestic, municipal and agricultural uses. Water sources in the subbasin are “connected” as groundwater use affects surface water use, and vice versa. The Feather River and its tributaries replenish the underground aquifers where water is drawn and stored, which makes the delineation between surface and groundwater sources contributing to groundwater withdrawals difficult to separate in many portions of the subbasin. Additionally, groundwater replenishes and moderates the temperatures of streams, rivers and wetlands, and supports groundwater dependent ecosystems within the subbasin. Therefore, everyone in the subbasin benefits from sustainable groundwater management.

How will be the new fee be collected?

The new fee will replace the current fee on taxable parcels and will continue to be collected with property taxes. WCGSA will directly bill (invoice) non-taxable parcels annually.

Learn More

Information about the WCGSA and fee study is posted at www.wyandottecreekgsa.com. Board meetings are held on the fourth Thursday each month starting at 2:00 p.m. at the Oroville City Hall located at 1735 Montgomery St. in Oroville. The public is always encouraged to attend. Check the website for specific meeting dates and to review agenda topics for upcoming meetings.