Staff reported that the Tule Subbasin is prioritizing a local alternative to a potential state pumping moratorium, with a technical meeting set for September 30. Allocation figures discussed included 0.27 AF/acre for metered pumping extraction and 0.15 AF/acre native sustainable yield under ET-based accounting. Starting October 2026, accounting shifts from an allocated precipitation amount to actual precipitation received. The PID GSP draft is posted for review ahead of an October 1 stakeholder meeting.
Board gave consensus direction to open CVP water ordering wide open/first-come, first-served to move about 11,000 AF by Oct. 31. Staff said most canals would run except East Poplar; water could be used for irrigation or sunk/recharged, with discussion of $205/AF current-year water and separate $135/AF recharge invoices (prior-year blend) expected soon after parcel-split fixes.
The board adopted a groundwater extraction fee of $50.67 per acre per year (based on 0.15 AF/acre Native Sustainable Yield) to fund PID GSA operations, separate from PID district assessments. Staff reported that a potential State pumping moratorium near the Friant-Kern Canal is still conceptual, with no draft released. Staff also noted that state GEARS invoices began mailing August 6 and that growers have 30 days from receipt to petition for reconsideration of incorrect extraction figures.
The board approved an allocation of recharge water at $135 per acre-foot, with parcels of five acres and above receiving one acre-foot per acre and parcels below five acres eligible for up to three acre-feet per acre, through October 31, 2026. A 142-acre property was purchased for development into a future recharge basin, with construction expected to begin in phases over roughly five years. Discussion also addressed risks around potential local pumping restrictions.
Staff reported that the state is expediting an interim plan and discussed a possible zero-pumping zone near the Friant-Kern Canal to address subsidence. PID and the Tule Sub-Basin are developing an alternative ahead of the January draft and possible April 2027 adoption. Staff said PID wells are generally shallow and subsidence low, but approval is sub-basin-wide. No out-of-boundary transfers are allowed until studies set limits.
