[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6655080,"mediaKeyId","5422780-272f79736f80545aa87ab0d74bb0f921","parentId",5422780,"title","Groundwater Authority reports grant payments, pipeline design milestones and Rademacher consolidation progress","audioSeconds",209,"startMs",2360000,"endMs",2569000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5422780-272f79736f80545aa87ab0d74bb0f921&start=2360&end=2569","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5422780-272f79736f80545aa87ab0d74bb0f921/thumbnail_2360000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6655080/Ridgecrest/Kern-County/California/Groundwater-Authority-reports-grant-payments-pipeline-design-milestones-and-Rademacher-consolidation-progress","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6655080-fde4165ccd37d4c69b5a193b184e4528/orig.mp4?Expires=1771157370&Signature=dOONXVwcQGwTViJGrHzwPIVM63K~m8pKOG7o3P8G55HfLPaqvGlQp6GHPLiXgnHEfu1CZN-PrQOdOIcS5pijem8~DYEbO8ll~1KYjc5sQ8IkS98CeSiVctugrHSWa7gT6rYXDEozvkrPjnLapyioqQd9F822fOJndKL7LDR708pAz~maFYL~mUUFJsMMRhh3SsNbWpiiEipERsu2kHBNG87UUXdqMg4gwqGZATnjufu9abIEjmZHK1PnNaNQPdoDfy84CnVDFjfyVGu5kNz0tdelw9Bf7aokG7Ul8opri3nmCg7B5ZIT7zfdNvnYa~vnpaGEBExOhkITZ~TH9beB8Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City of Ridgecrest","date","2025-07-17T16:20:17.71Z","article","Steve Johnson of Stetson Engineers briefed the Ridgecrest Groundwater Authority on grants, project design milestones and consolidation work, reporting that multiple grant invoices have been paid and design work on a regional pipeline is proceeding toward 90% and 100% design milestones.

\"We are up to date on the IP grant,\" Steve Johnson said, noting invoice No. 10 (Oct\t6\t24) for about $505,000 and invoice No. 11 (Jan\tMar 2025) for roughly $600,593 have been received. Johnson also updated the board on an Urban Community Drought Relief Program award of about $3.4 million and on a Drinking Water Systems Infrastructure Resilience and Sustainability Program award of approximately $2.8 million; the latter remains under federal grant-implementation steps with EPA staff.

On construction and consolidation work, Johnson said the Rademacher consolidation Phase 1 is complete, with pressure testing and disinfection finished and the district coordinating the final meter connections with the property owner. He said Phase 2 design has been completed and submitted to the Division of Drinking Water (DDW) for approval. \"The water district is now just coordinating with the landowner for the connection to the meter,\" Johnson said.

Board members and Indian Wells Valley Water District representatives discussed who should notify property owners near the Rademacher work about available connections and possible covered costs. George Kroll, general manager of Indian Wells Valley Water District, said the district has not actively reached out but would be willing to place flyers or contact residents if the board wants them to do so. He explained that the grant funding covers pipeline construction and not homeowner service-connection costs; connection fees will need separate authorization or homeowner payment. \"We have not actively reached out to those people but if the board would desire we would be happy to go put a flyer on their door,\" Kroll said.

Board members asked staff to proceed with contacting property owners and agreed that, if action were required, it would be brought back as a separate agendized item; the district indicated it could proceed under manager authority with the board's consensus. Jim Worth (attorney) said a board nod would be sufficient to allow the district to proceed with outreach.

Johnson also reviewed project schedules: multiple technical memoranda remain outstanding (tank design, instrumentation, pump selection, hydraulic analyses), a draft corrosion report and a planned 90% design submittal, and an anticipated 100% design by December 2025. He said environmental analysis will include a 45-day public comment period and right-of-way plats and legal descriptions are expected mid-2025; appraisals and final right-of-way documentation are due before year-end. Johnson reported that annual reporting to DWR satisfied Groundwater Sustainability Board regulations and that DWR wrote the basin appears on track to achieve sustainability under the approved GSP.

On the shallow-well mitigation program, staff reported there were currently no active applications. Board members and the public discussed possible financing options for homeowner service connections; staff and district representatives said no state program is currently available to cover those connection costs and that private contractors sometimes offer secured financing arrangements to property owners.

The board asked staff and district managers to follow up with property owners about the connection option and to return with any required actions or additional funding information.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","GSA Meeting 7/16/2025","oneSentenceSummary","Stetson Engineers and staff updated the board on multiple grant payments, a $2.8 million EPA drinking-water award, ongoing pipeline design with a 100% design target of December 2025, and a completed Phase 1 consolidation at Rademacher; board and district agreed staff could notify nearby property owners about connection options.","taxTitle","Ridgecrest, Kern County, California","taxId",52022,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6655085,"Ridgecrest Groundwater Authority pauses launch of its own Facebook page, asks staff for vetted social media policy",1863,404000,2267000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5422780-272f79736f80545aa87ab0d74bb0f921&start=404&end=2267","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5422780-272f79736f80545aa87ab0d74bb0f921/thumbnail_404000.jpg","/articles/6655085/Ridgecrest/Kern-County/California/Ridgecrest-Groundwater-Authority-pauses-launch-of-its-own-Facebook-page-asks-staff-for-vetted-social-media-policy","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6655085-c8936f3611a0d3ef8c76c9bddc922c19/orig.mp4?Expires=1771157370&Signature=UoTwZuo7Wd1FFQjZoYpzbz0kRggRasemVqkV-yjpTObMDmPbNxDwjQ-c7jziGnORy8vSQLf6twO8V2-EyeX0dYyeD8eYORfzwPFCqkPHu09wmD~3D-fZ9h4phInhMxeDtvVdZO8v~8tLD2zDAUpFtZXkKPKfGuryWyEJS0Op-s3jKrHv6QcjHPxTouNyUaGf8~aWuHp31q2Pp8OfK8OOnERXac-wX3pKl9fN3FCtn9tYzjzOWvYs9urDbw9EcrVyTC2ZYGbWr0GXq0iJX95UxYkS45jWRcLqB9QoF5wcPYy6Km1QawERI0OfN-U7e7OFKKUh8s~E3MuJHKMNQNiOvg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","At a public meeting of the Ridgecrest Groundwater Authority, board members heard a recommendation from their communications consultant, Westbound Communications, to establish an independent Facebook page and requested staff return with a vetted social media policy before launching any page.

The proposal, presented by Carol (General Manager), said the page would give the authority another venue to reach the community and that Westbound would help manage posts and prepare prewritten responses. \"We would establish some, prewritten information or responses that could be provided,\" Carol said, describing the plan as an additional avenue for outreach beyond city postings.

The recommendation drew repeated concern from board members and several members of the public about moderation, First Amendment limits and the potential for misinformation. \"I don't support creating a Facebook page for this purpose,\" said John Bledo, a member of the public, arguing that agency pages become overwhelmed with misinformation that can drown out official messaging. Director Vallejo and others voiced similar reservations about the platform's risks.

Public commenters urged caution. Judy Decker, who said she helped draft the authority's community engagement policy, told the board she would \"echo 500%\" Vallejo's concerns and asked whether Westbound's work on Facebook would require a contract amendment, how many hours would be needed, and what the total cost would be. Don Decker and Renee Westilas warned about quick escalation of heated, potentially violent comments and asked how rapidly a page could be taken down.

Board members pressed for legal review and an explicit moderation policy. Director Saint Amond said he wanted a policy \"vetted by legal before we give them authorization to put out a Facebook page,\" and several board members asked Westbound to prepare a draft policy modeled on existing county examples. Carol and Westbound said moderation would follow a written policy, including removal of comments that violate the policy and use of pre-prepared responses to correct inaccurate information.

Rather than approve a page at the meeting, the board provided direction to staff. A motion was made asking staff to return with a proposed social media policy, including legal review and options for alternative outreach approaches; counsel advised that board direction would be sufficient and a formal vote was not required. The board agreed to have staff bring a policy and additional outreach options back at a later meeting for review before any page is created.

Votes at a glance from this meeting: the agenda and the consent agenda were adopted earlier in the meeting by recorded voice votes. Adoption of the agenda and approval of the consent agenda were passed unanimously by the directors present.

The board asked staff to include cost estimates, the hours Westbound would allocate, and any required contract amendments in the follow-up report. Staff said they would also explore alternative outreach methods and legal implications before the board considers launching a social media account.","The Groundwater Authority heard a recommendation from consultant Westbound Communications to create an independent Facebook page, faced extensive public and director concern about moderation and legal issues, and directed staff to return with a proposed social media policy and options for outreach.","actionData","errors"]

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Groundwater Authority reports grant payments, pipeline design milestones and Rademacher consolidation progress

Ridgecrest Groundwater Authority pauses launch of its own Facebook page, asks staff for vetted social media policy