MAGSA celebrates California Water Professionals Appreciation Week
Matt Hurley, General Manager, MAGSA
At the helm of every successful organization is a visionary leader. Matt Hurley, MAGSA’s General Manager, brings a determined focus on leading the region to sustainability under SGMA while improving the lives of the constituents the organization serves. And he does it all with a smile and cheery attitude!
“Prioritizing the interests of the growers and residents MAGSA serves is vital to our success. We are asking a lot of folks when it comes to achieving balanced levels of groundwater by 2040 under SGMA. But we try to get creative and make sure there’s value added for them too,” he said
Rather than immediately cut back on water demand, MAGSA is focused on leading growers through innovative projects that bring surface water to an area that has historically been 100% groundwater dependent. Thanks to the McMullin On-Farm Flood Capture Expansion Project, opportunities will open for growers to receive water from a canal, something new to the area.
Along with the arrival of surface water will come the opportunity to implement sustainability practices like On-Farm Recharge. The introduction of a new university-style course tailored to MAGSA growers, “OFR-University”, is launching this fall to help growers implement these groundwater recharge practices. This is just one small example of MAGSA’s dedication to add value to people living within the service area, and it’s all thanks to its people-first leader!
Randy Hopkins, Chief Strategic Officer, Principal Engineer, Provost & Pritchard
The Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP) has already started implementation, thanks to water professionals like Randy Hopkins, Chief Strategic Officer and Principal Engineer at Provost & Pritchard! Randy is a visionary leader, and he’s primarily focusing on planning and developing projects to help connect MAGSA to a variety of water sources. This creates the ability to bring in surface water when it’s available.
“Sustainable water management is the key to sustainable agriculture and healthy communities,” he said.
Not only is Randy a key leader in GSP implementation, but also in executing the McMullin On-Farm Flood Capture Expansion project and the Aquaterra Water Bank.
Implementing the GSP is a huge undertaking that requires developing a significant about of infrastructure over the next few years. While challenging, it’s the most rewarding aspect of Randy’s job. Developing infrastructure means being fully dedicated to putting tools in place for MAGSA to sustainably manage water supplies for the benefit of residents, growers, and our region.
Lynn Groundwater, Senior Engineer, Provost & Pritchard
This Water Professionals Week we’re celebrating a collaborative leader, Lynn Groundwater, Senior Engineer at Provost & Pritchard! Implementing the Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP) for MAGSA is no small task, but Lynn plays a key role in doing so. She helps monitor the sustainable management criteria, projects, and management actions. She’s currently helping with projects that would provide MAGSA flexibility to recharge surface water when available and construct surface water facilities as outlined in the GSP. She is an integral part of the McMullin On-Farm Flood Capture Expansion project and the Aquaterra Water Bank.
“It is rewarding to work with growers and members of the MAGSA community to collaborate on the MAGSA projects and for implementation of the GSP,” she said.
Working on a tight schedule is challenging, but it’s rewarding work to help provide the opportunity to use surface water within MAGSA. Thank you to our hardworking engineers who are paving the road to sustainability within MAGSA!
Lindsey Sciacca, Assistant Engineer, Provost & Pritchard
Behind every basin, every sustainability goal, and groundwater conservation effort is an engineer who dedicates time and lots of math to make it come to life! This Water Professionals Week we’d like to give a shoutout to Lindsey Sciacca, Assistant Engineer at Provost & Pritchard! He is an assistant project manager and project engineer at Provost & Pritchard for the McMullin On-Farm Flood Capture Expansion Project.
“It takes an entire team to succeed in the work we do for the McMullin Expansion project and I wouldn’t be able to be nearly as successful in my own work without the support of the rest of the team,” he said.
As an assistant project manager and project engineer, he is responsible for running hydraulic calculations, working on drawings, and coordinating with several other engineers, manufacturers, and utility companies.
Lindsey is a determined leader and keeps track of project schedules so that sustainability goals are met in a timely manner.
The McMullin On-Farm Flood Capture Expansion Project is the largest and most involved project he has worked on thus far, and the teamwork behind it keeps the ball rolling. This project could not be done without every hand on board!