Photo of Wes Miliband

Wes Miliband leads Stoel Rives’ California water practice and focuses on securing and protecting water rights and water supplies, including assistance with water transfers as well as the infrastructure necessary to treat, store and deliver water. Wes’s practice lends itself to related environmental issues involving water quality impacts to surface water and groundwater supplies, regulatory permitting and environmental compliance with federal and state requirements. Wes is listed among Rising Stars (Environmental) by Super Lawyers® for 2013 to 2017.

This blog post was co-authored by Stoel Rives attorneys Wes Miliband and Eric Skanchy.

Under the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (“SGMA”), California’s landmark groundwater legislation, local Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (“GSAs”) must be formed to assess conditions in their local water basins and to develop locally-based groundwater sustainability plans (“GSPs”).

GSAs, which must be formed by June 30, 2017, will have the ability to register and monitor wells and to potentially restrict pumping and prevent drilling of new wells. GSAs will also have the ability to assess new fees and taxes. These local agencies will be in the driver’s seat when it comes to addressing a very complex problem seen in many areas of California: managing groundwater to ensure long-term sustainability of groundwater supplies.

Given the influence these GSAs will have, it is not surprising that various interest groups and stakeholders covet a seat at the table. This was not lost on wine industry representatives in Sonoma County, who petitioned the County to give the industry voting power on the yet-to-be-formed GSAs.
Continue Reading Sonoma County Rejects Wine Industry Request for Voice in Groundwater Regulations