Napa County approves digital groundwater compliance tracking expansion

Napa County approves digital groundwater compliance tracking expansionNapa County supervisors unanimously approved a $90,675 amendment with Byrne Software Technologies to configure Accela records for groundwater monitoring and other conditions of approval. The county says the system will centralise submissions, automate notifications and flag data that exceed permit conditions.

The amendment raises Byrne Software Technologies’ contract ceiling from $151,900 to $242,575 and extends its term through June 30, 2027.

The new scope comprises 385 hours, valued at $59,675, for the Conditions of Approval Monitoring Project, plus 200 hours and $31,000 for Environmental Health Accela enhancements.

Staff said the platform will enable applicants and property owners to submit groundwater-monitoring data online, while providing deadline notifications and automated flags for exceedances.

When a well exceeds extraction limits or caps, Napa County’s usual initial enforcement response is to require a groundwater management plan, according to the Assistant Director for Planning, Building and Environmental Services.

The board discussed public accessibility of the resulting data but staff said system design has not yet begun and disclosure decisions will be vetted with County Counsel.

Napa County’s Board of Supervisors has unanimously authorised a $90,675 expansion of its Accela software contract to automate the collection and compliance tracking of groundwater-monitoring records. The 15 September approval amends Agreement No. 250418B with Byrne Software Technologies Inc., increasing the contract maximum from $151,900 to $242,575 and extending the agreement through 30 June 2027. The expenditure is budgeted from the Planning, Building and Environmental Services Planning General Fund and the GSA Fund. The core addition is a 385-hour, $59,675 Conditions of Approval Monitoring Project. County staff said the new configuration will allow applicants and property owners to submit groundwater-monitoring data online, issue notifications on reporting deadlines, centralise records and flag information that exceeds conditions attached to an individual parcel. The Director of Planning, Building and Environmental Services stressed that the procurement does not change groundwater conditions of approval. Rather, it is intended to replace existing manual processes, including emailed submissions, spreadsheets and other fragmented records, with a digital system for tracking conditions across groundwater, traffic, biological and other programmes. The Assistant Director for Planning, Building and Environmental Services said the platform will support spatial analysis through GIS, including information such as well depths. The system is also expected to provide staff-wide access to monitoring records. During the discussion, supervisors considered questions raised in a comment letter from Water Audit California, including whether the platform would support enforcement and how data might be made public. Staff said that, when information shows a well exceeding an extraction limit or cap, the county has an enforcement response. Its typical first action is to require the applicant to prepare a groundwater management plan identifying practices and operational changes to bring extraction back within applicable limits. Staff said the software system itself has not yet been designed. As data fields and reporting requirements are developed with the consultant, the county will work with County Counsel to determine which information can be publicly accessible, including through the county’s public GIS system, and what information may be proprietary or otherwise restricted. The contract amendment also provides 200 hours, valued at $31,000, for outstanding Environmental Health Accela reporting, workflow and training enhancements. Byrne will configure and test the new monitoring processes, provide up to 10 reports, train end users and promote approved components into the production environment. A caller representing Wine Grove supported investment in reliable monitoring tools but said decisions on public disclosure and system design should proceed through a separate public process involving the agricultural community. The board then approved the amendment without opposition.