Catch up on the latest GSA board meeting recaps anytime—at home, on the road, or on your tractor.
Proud Partners of
A new SGMA fee schedule was approved, charging all parcels a $20.50 flat fee plus Part 2 fees including $15.58 per cropped/managed wetland acre (or $13.26/acre for South Feather/Feather River diverters) — acres not being used are not charged, and grazing land pays Part 1 only. The FY 2026–27 budget of $436,425 was adopted, fully funded by these fees. The board confirmed fees are not permanent and can be lowered in future years if costs decrease or grant funding is secured.
Subbasin staff reported a coordinated single-GSP budget of ~$1.4M basin-wide through 2026, with PIDGSA's share ~$46,850 (potentially higher if not all GSAs participate). A fallow program is being explored, and staff will monitor allocation compliance now that 2026 allocations are posted in BasinSAFE. Low well registration is prompting staff to pull state records; a registration deadline will be discussed with stakeholders.
The board approved the FY 2026-27 budget and scheduled a June public hearing for the proposed $170/acre-foot groundwater extraction fee. Optional Well C was removed from the long-term projection, dropping projected fees to roughly $65/acre-foot in years three through five. Well B was shifted out one year in the budget after the property owner revoked site access.
The board unanimously approved the hiring of Ellen Viera as the new General Manager, with a start date discussed as the 27th near the start of the irrigation water run. The Board added an emergency agenda item for a ditch tender. Additionally, the board approved an interim leave policy (Resolution 2026-03) establishing 40 hours of sick leave and 96 hours of vacation accrual annually.
Grower rate-setting work continues toward a Prop 218 process: delivered water charges are projected to rise ~5% annually over five years, and staff may bring a Prop 218 procedures resolution in June. Rural residential augmentation bills are projected to drop ~20% next year due to lower usage assumptions. College Lake is preparing to resume operations June 1 while teams address last season's water quality issues.
