Catch up on the latest GSA board meeting recaps anytime—on the road, on your tractor, or at home.
GEARS reporting is due May 1 (fees $300/well + $20/AF; 25% late penalty). Staff relayed that if you have an irrigation well and a domestic well on the same property, both must be reported. Stakeholders discussed (based on a webinar) how recharge credits may be treated in reporting, and the April 21 exclusion-denial hearing was discussed.
Water season is underway with ~131,765 enrolled acres tracking closely to last year. A pulse flow is set to begin around April 7–8, ramping to 10,000 cfs, with intake dredging expected to start as early as next Friday pending river levels. The Lurline pump station is essentially complete, with SCADA operational and a final software patch and walkthrough scheduled for Monday.
Basin conditions were reviewed amid zero March rain and post-peak groundwater declines. WY2025 extractions (~4,138 AF) were noted near the low end of sustainable yield. The Board discussed next steps for non-reporting/unmetered wells, including potential penalties, and agreed the issue should go to the meter compliance ad hoc committee.
Board continued the CVC golden mussel emergency action (funded by CVC participants). ID4 discussed a 30% year and needing to recover 22,000+ AF from banking. ID4 adopted 2026–27 groundwater charges: $20/AF ag, $40/AF other, $40/yr small facilities.
Board received a $200M federal OBBB allocation. Staff was directed to proceed with bid solicitation for five Phase 1 replacement pump stations as early as the following Monday, with award targeted for May and NTP around late June 2026. The 2024 cost recovery methodology was vacated and a 3-director committee will develop a replacement. Class 1 holds at 100% but could drop to ~90%.
