Catch up on the latest GSA board meeting recaps anytime—at home, on the road, or on your tractor.
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A pending one-year grant extension could move priority project deadlines to December 2027; staff aim to finish the paperwork by year-end. Four projects totaling about $6.7 million remain in contracting after board and conditional state approval. Eligible existing grantees with a completed MLRP plan could seek up to an additional $9 million under anticipated Round 3 terms; Westlands is finalizing its plan. Growers and community members were urged to submit project concepts.
Seven of nine Safe, Clean Water audit recommendations are complete; IMC recruitment and a San Francisquito Creek performance indicator remain open. The committee closed the 2020 Real Estate Services audit after four outstanding recommendations were implemented. Acquisitions involving owners’ appraisals can cost 10% or more above Valley Water’s appraisals. A district-wide risk assessment will inform 2027 audit planning; contractor spending controls were raised for possible consideration.
The board reviewed a roughly $424,000 preliminary 2027 budget and questioned a $5,000 audit line; member agencies will review the budget before possible adoption in December. Todd Groundwater is reviewing local groundwater calculations alongside a basinwide accounting approach. The Groundwater Authority’s domestic well mitigation program has two applicants. Members discussed a $30,000 assistance limit, but pump coverage remains unresolved.
The Education Fund board directed the Finance Committee to pursue an $80,000 year-end fundraising goal for a proposed Phase 2 economic impact study and approved a six-month Lauchland Group extension at $2,500 per month. CAP representatives said they had been told to expect a $500,000 Packard Foundation contribution and described plans for in-person meetings and a Delta work group.
Only 3 of 22 Tier 2 wells are in compliance, and required filers’ first extraction reports are due November 1. Staff plans to discuss possible Tier 3 violation notices with counsel in November; none were approved. The GSP evaluation found no undesirable results for 2019–25, and a compiled draft is expected by late October. Solomon Hills reported Montecito and Cadiz water arrangements; its representative said the project does not plan to pump San Antonio Basin groundwater.
