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 set a December 4 hearing for the proposed FY2027 budget after reviewing a draft. Staff projected roughly $1.5 million in implementation costs against about $933,000 in assessment revenue but described the overall draft as near balance. At Site 20 near Tulare, an analysis estimated a 95% chance of exceeding the subsidence minimum threshold by 2040 under current groundwater-level thresholds. None of the 13 modeled sites is within Eastern Kaweah.
At the October 26 joint meeting, the committees reviewed Water Year 2027 Tier 1 and Tier 2 rates of $250 per acre-foot; Tier 3 remains $500. Allocations remain 0.31 and 0.23 acre-feet per acre. The Board directed staff to pursue water credits to offset this year’s tiered use ahead of a planned Water Year 2028 supplemental-water transition. Critical-head findings at 13 western-area sites prompted further subsidence study.
The Friant Water Authority Finance & Human Resources Committee was called to order on October 26, 2026, but lacked a quorum and conducted no substantive agenda business. Proposed dump truck and pre-emergent chemical purchases, counsel agreements, October bills, and financial reports were not considered. Julie Gantenbein said the committee would adjourn to its next regular meeting, announced for December 8 at 1:30 p.m.
The Forebay and Upper Valley committees questioned a roughly $1.4 billion agency-wide groundwater-plan cost figure and sought clearer sub-basin labels. Members questioned the Upper Valley long-term overdraft description and supported arranging another meeting, though no date was set. Comments received by November 18 will be compiled for the December 10 board review; a revised draft is planned for early January.
The plan’s consultant reported that North San Benito groundwater conditions remain sustainable with continued Central Valley Project imports; proposed projects and management actions include no long-term pumping reductions. The update addresses four state-recommended corrective actions, although guidance on interconnected surface water remains pending. The committee recommended a December 8, 2026 Board public hearing and consideration of adoption.
