Catch up on the latest GSA board meeting recaps anytime—at home, on the road, or on your tractor.
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The board received updates on the GSP amendment, targeting a public draft by September and public hearings around Nov/Dec with a 10% conservation reduction goal. About 2,500 fallowed vineyard acres are being tracked as temporary water savings with no permanent model changes yet. Modeling indicates minor subsidence in the eastern Cosumnes sub-basin, prompting enhanced monitoring and threshold review.
CVP allocation is reported at 25%; staff said Shasta inflows are tracking above the 90% forecast and Westlands is advocating for an increase. The board approved pre-allocating 15,000 AF of supplemental water to offset peak-season pumping and approved new land stewardship rules requiring proper maintenance and district inspection access, with non-compliance risking restricted water allocations including groundwater.
Staff received updates on three programs: a multi-decade stream maintenance program covering Valley Water's stream facilities countywide (below 1,000 ft) under a new 10-year permit cycle, a direct potable reuse project targeting 24,000 acre-feet annually by 2035 at an estimated $2.45B, and two watershed master plans covering ~175 sq mi expected to finalize in spring 2027.
The board approved up to $28.5M in COP financing for a new administrative campus and booster stations, and awarded a $32.922M construction contract to Robert Clapper Construction. Staff also announced a July 23 public workshop on the M2 groundwater protection project.
A two-tier groundwater fee was adopted (May 18) and Tier 2 pre-billing corrections are underway for misclassified dry/grazing land. YSGA presented a Hungry Hollow White Paper detailing six voluntary projects with scenarios that could offset the area's modeled groundwater deficit; it is under landowner review. The Board approved a letter to the County on Focus Areas/well verification and coordination on the moratorium.
