Stay on top of SGMA

Fees were raised to the maximum allowed under the existing Prop 218 assessment for FY 2026-27 alongside an unbalanced budget (~$500,000 shortfall) expected to be covered by reserves. The GSA approved up to $184,800 with David's Engineering for demand management program development. Staff and members discussed revisiting finances in early 2027 as actual costs become clearer.

The board authorized a rebid (Res. 26-04) and began county paperwork for the $32.85/acre assessment (Res. 26-03). Staff discussed using the Aug. 5 meeting as a go/no-go point ahead of the county's Aug. 10 deadline, depending on grant confirmation and rebid numbers; otherwise it could slip about a year.

The board approved a groundwater extraction fee of $6 per acre foot for FY 2026-2027 and adopted a single reserve fund policy set at 20% of the annual budget. Growers should anticipate fees rising significantly in coming years as grant funding is exhausted. In public comment and correspondence, stakeholders urged the Board to consider staying CMA allocation enforcement pending adjudication and said the water exchange program is not functioning; no Board action was taken on those requests.

GSAs to submit well registration data by Nov 30, 2026; EKI will send a template in July. WY 2026 pumping totals also due Nov 30; PRP metering policy deadline was Jan 2026. EKI highlighted nitrate/TDS watchlist wells (in DM-II and Northwestern DM GSAs) to monitor closely for August sampling and recommended verification samples if results exceed thresholds.

Subsidence is accelerating across management zones, with one monitored lower-aquifer site about 70 feet below its minimum threshold (MT) as the primary driver. Staff estimated pumping reductions of 0.6–0.9 acre-feet per acre in SMZ 35 could help recover levels, with flood irrigators facing the largest impact. Staff said they will develop possible pumping-cap and allocation change options for next year and return with options in July–August.