Catch up on the latest GSA board meeting recaps anytime—on the road, on your tractor, or at home.
Arroyo Seco basin remains sustainable with no threshold violations in five years, and a demand management framework tailored to drought-condition triggers is being developed. Concerns were raised over a potential valley-wide fee to fund voluntary demand management, with public warnings it may be unnecessary here and vulnerable to legal challenge. Board members also questioned the use of a 30-year modeling window over the full 100-year data record for assessing long-term groundwater trends.
A request to give two water districts permanent board seats failed on a 5-5 tie vote, with board expansion tied to unresolved questions about private pumper representation and legal hurdles. Progress was reported on a local project manager position, with a cost-sharing agreement targeting a county funding vote in late March and potential hiring by summer. The Groundwater Demand Management program continues advancing toward a required January 2027 operational deadline.
Groundwater pumping remains well below the district's roughly 1.8 million acre-feet in groundwater credits, though transitional pumping limits restrict how quickly those credits can be used. Monitoring shows mostly healthy aquifer levels district-wide, with localized concerns along the southeastern boundary likely linked to neighboring pumping. Subsidence is stable, though one southeastern benchmark has exceeded the annual minimum threshold, attributed largely to neighboring pumping activity.
The board voted 3-2 to impose new contract terms on field employees after failed negotiations with IBEW Local 1245, including a 7-on/7-off schedule and revised overtime and health insurance structures effective March 2026. The 2026 irrigation season was unanimously set to begin March 11, with water flowing into the main canal March 2. Staff also reported re-engaging Division 9 growers following a failed rate vote, with follow-up meetings planned to build toward a revised proposal.
The board approved hiring Provost & Pritchard to analyze groundwater allocation policy options, with a draft report expected in 10–14 weeks and no policies selected yet. An annual cash call of $18,040 per member was approved to fund ongoing operations as grant funding runs out. A member of the public raised concerns about oilfield wastewater disposal threatening west side groundwater quality, with a state hearing upcoming to contest current de-designation efforts.
