Board approved the Self Help Enterprises agreement to help administer the domestic well mitigation program (application review, interim emergency water, and long-term mitigation recommendations). Non-District East must submit an Action Plan by Nov 1, 2026 (implement by Jan 31, 2027); Stanislaus County said it hopes to have a consultant selected by end of April. MID’s fee/budget resolution was shared; members asked for a future discussion item for more detail.
The groundwater allocation program framework presented at the workshop was substantially revised from the July draft to recognize irrigation districts' developed water supply, resulting in significantly higher developed supply credits for MID and OID. Non-District East is shown in the example allocation as having a base allocation equal to about 35% of historical pumping, but temporary relief through OID's surplus redistribution in Phase 1 would raise that to about 47% of historical use .
A draft well mitigation program was released for public comment, offering up to $40,000 in assistance for domestic wells that go dry due to groundwater management activities since January 2022. The program will be administered through a partnership with Self-Help Enterprises, focusing specifically on domestic and small water system wells rather than agricultural wells. With a $300,000 initial budget, the program targets the 126 wells potentially at risk when groundwater reaches minimum...
The groundwater sustainability agency approved a $100,000 budget increase to complete critical well mitigation and management programs by the January 2026 deadline. Two key workshops are scheduled for October and November to review draft programs, with documents released at least two weeks prior for public input. The compressed timeline requires both programs to be drafted by January 2026 and implemented by January 2027, creating urgency for member agencies to secure necessary approvals.
