Catch up on the latest GSA board meeting recaps anytime—at home, on the road, or on your tractor.
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At special meetings of the Marina Coast Water District and its Groundwater Sustainability Agency, directors discussed the board procedures manual but did not adopt Resolution 2026-66. President Gail Morton and Director Stacey Smith formed an ad hoc committee to review possible edits, including social media and Brown Act provisions. After Smith said she learned of a Measure Q presentation from a community member, the general manager pledged to keep directors better informed of upcoming agenda items.
The committee recommended a $69,014 Watsonville Slough permitting and mitigation amendment and a recurring year-end office closure. Members took no action on increasing the management fee or changing delinquent-account enforcement. PV Water extended the Coastal Commission review window potentially to late April 2027. The committee recommended board acceptance of quarterly, financial and cash-flow reports.
Owners without registered wells linked to their parcels when allocations load around January 2027 will not receive water year 2027 allocations, staff warned. The board approved two dedicated recharge basins; their owners must take offered excess water and may earn higher winter credits. It also approved up to $55,000 for domestic-well mitigation. Legal counsel said a new State Water Board plan could reduce surface-water deliveries and recharge.
EKI is screening member-agency projects for a potential joint Proposition 4 groundwater grant application capped at $15 million; concept proposals are expected to open in February 2027. No project bundle or funding request was approved. Member agencies should share candidate projects with EKI soon. Public comments on the amended Groundwater Sustainability Plan and Periodic Evaluation close November 20; both GSA boards plan to consider adoption in January 2027.
On Nov. 10, the Madera County GSA Committee voted 2-0 to recommend removing the domestic well program’s 30-year age cutoff, subject to Board approval. No wells have been drilled; staff reported about 80 applicants in the county process and 75 in a separate Self-Help Enterprises pool. A director requested progress and financial reports. Staff expects no additional FY 2026–27 GSP fee, but a second-half charge remains possible after a fee analysis expected in December or January.
