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 held a discussion exploring a per-well fee as an alternative to the previously failed weighted-ballot assessment, but made no decision on a fee structure or legal pathway. Staff was directed to bring back an updated Prop 4 grant-writer RFP by the May meeting; DWR strongly encouraged applying. The demand management ad hoc reported that their consultant has developed a draft decision matrix with stress-level triggers, but key thresholds and water accounting methods stay unresolved.
The board discussed two penalty options for over-pumping violations to be voted on at the next meeting, and reviewed a draft five-year budget supporting a Prop 218 process to raise groundwater extraction fees to a ceiling of ~$50/acre-foot. Staff reported that all 2026 allocation confirmations were received by the April 15 deadline, with unclaimed acres redistributed to participating landowners.
The board approved policies and procedures for solar interconnection to a planned 500kV transmission line, targeting an application window starting mid-June 2026 with intake and validation through the summer. The board also directed staff to prioritize larger solar projects in the interconnection queue to minimize transmission infrastructure on district land, with engineering cluster study results expected by January 2027.
Demand management planning remains in early information-gathering stages, with no decisions made and a more detailed update expected next meeting. Kern Tulare's letter criticizing EWMA demand-management progress prompted EWMA and counsel to respond; Kern Tulare said EWMA can act now and noted it is protesting EWMA's local agency formation commission. The board voted to hold one combined special meeting on June 15.
Staff reviewed options to increase San Pedro Ponds recharge (capacity 4,700 AFY but currently less than 500 AFY) limited by nearby septic systems. FY2025 conservation savings were 87,392 AF (near 90% of the 2030 target), but annual gains slowed; staff will update the model/plan via an RFP. Members discussed the need for better data on large commercial/industrial water use (including data centers) to inform future policy discussions.
