FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 12, 2019
NKGSA names Kassy Chauhan Executive Officer-Designate
Chauhan to take over for Gary Serrato
The North Kings Groundwater Sustainability Agency’s (NKGSA) Board of Directors has appointed Kassy Chauhan as the NKGSA’s next Executive Officer. Chauhan currently serves as a Senior Sanitary Engineer with the State Water Resources Control Board, Division of Drinking Water in Fresno.
The current Executive Officer, Gary Serrato, will continue to lead the NKGSA until February 1, 2020. At that time, Chauhan will take over for Serrato who has held the position since NKGSA’s inception in 2016. Chauhan will work side-by-side with Serrato until February, focusing on finalizing the Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP) and submitting to the State (Department of Water Resources) by January 31, 2020.
Chauhan will begin on September 30 and will also serve as the Special Projects Manager for the Fresno Irrigation District (FID) under the direction of General Manager Bill Stretch. The NKGSA and FID board of directors envision Chauhan spending the majority of her time working for the NKGSA until its GSP is submitted, and then splitting her time between both agencies after the submittal.
Chauhan has extensive experience with elected boards, public relations, disadvantaged communities as well as local, state and federal agency interactions. Chauhan has worked for the past 19 years in the drinking water industry for the State Water Resources Control Board (2014-2019) and the Department of Public Health (2000-2014). She has been responsible for the regulatory oversight of over 370 public water systems in Fresno, Madera, Merced, Mariposa and Tuolumne counties. Prior to employment with the State, she worked for a private local engineering firm, Boyle Engineering, working on numerous water infrastructure projects for a 3-year period. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from California State University, Fresno and is a licensed professional civil engineer. She grew up in the agriculturally-rich Imperial Valley.
“The Board welcomes Kassy Chauhan as our next Executive Officer,” stated NKGSA Board Chairman Jerry Prieto. “She brings a wealth of experience, and I am confident she will help the NKGSA navigate the GSP implementation process into the future and also work with neighboring GSAs to bring the Kings Subbasin into sustainability.”
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Since 2016, the North Kings Groundwater Sustainability Agency (www.northkingsgsa.org) is a Joint Powers Authority and is the governing body of a portion of the Kings Subbasin in compliance with the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act of 2014. NKGSA members include Bakman Water Company, Biola Community Services District, City of Clovis, City of Fresno, City of Kerman, County of Fresno, Fresno Metropolitan Flood Control District, Fresno Irrigation District, Garfield Water District, and International Water District.