The Stanislaus County Water Advisory Committee approved its May 27 minutes. A Non-District East groundwater-use action plan, including an accounting platform, targets the 2027 growing season. A reviewer said demand reduction is needed, but later reduction requirements could be revised downward; no change was approved. Consultant Chris Heppner outlined state grants, while county staff invited project ideas and updated Eastern San Joaquin groundwater accounting.
Staff recommended against the proposed one-time golden mussel treatment in 2026, favoring a broader 2027 approach; no treatment vote was taken. The committee approved $25,000 for Pool 3 repairs without scheduling the roughly two-week outage and increased the membership-fees budget by $10,400. Staff will circulate revised A/B power-cost allocations for review before issuing invoices or refunds; the agency holds about $800,000 in participant funds.
This WAC meeting was largely informational, with presenters updating the board on key issues. East Turlock GSA demonstrated a new groundwater accounting platform to help farmers manage allocations and credits. UC ANR highlighted the challenges small-scale farmers face in complying with SGMA. Staff also outlined upcoming deadlines in the Modesto, Turlock, and Delta-Mendota subbasins.
The advisory committee reviewed progress on drought resilience planning, groundwater fee implementation, and water management strategies across multiple sub-basins. Key focus areas included new groundwater accounting systems, emergency response protocols, and collaborative approaches to balance agricultural needs with environmental requirements.
