Staff said draft GSP amendments and a periodic evaluation are expected Sept. 14, with public comment through Oct. 26 and LML-specific comments requested by Oct. 14. The board discussed revisiting Alternative 3 alongside Alternatives 1 and 2 and the non-dry year language at the Oct. 14 meeting. Public commenters said current minimum thresholds could allow about a third of wells to go dry before corrective action.
Both boards approved keeping existing groundwater minimum thresholds (Alternative 1) rather than raising them, adding an early-warning layer through Local Management Levels set 20 feet below measurable objectives, with staff directed to draft more prescriptive trigger language. The RMS monitoring well network expansion from 17 to 29 wells was approved as a formal GSP amendment. Both boards voted to retain non-dry-year language and provide an offsets explanation to DWR.
The advisory committee voted 5-2 to recommend revising groundwater Minimum Thresholds using Alternative 2's dual-criterion approach, creating earlier regulatory triggers in 16 of 25 RMS wells (though some MTs would be lower than 2022 levels in certain polygons). They also voted to recommend removing the non-dry year qualifier from undesirable result definitions, after first voting down a motion to keep the language. Both recommendations now go to the GSA Boards for final decision.
SGMA regulatory fees for FY 2026-27 were approved: $5.60 per cropped acre, $16.58 base fee per parcel, and $1.26 per developed domestic parcel. The board discussed expanding RMS wells from 17 to 29 and expressed general support, but took no formal action. MT/domestic well risk analysis continues; staff will post/update side-by-side analyses for the Periodic Evaluation.
Groundwater recharge feasibility studies showed strong pilot results, with three projects proposed but not advancing without funding and legal review. SHAC broadly supported expanding the RMS network from 17 to 29 wells (no vote). MTs—described by one member as ~80 ft below historical lows—remain a major concern; staff will refine proposals for July 22 discussion.
