Board adopted the 2025 Agricultural Water Management Plan and adopted a resolution preliminarily setting $500/acre-foot penalties for 2025 water budget exceedances, with a noticed public hearing at next month’s meeting (April). GM reported acreage/demand trends and acknowledged landowners may bundle ownerships to reduce charges.
The board is moving forward with a new daily ET monitoring tool, giving growers more frequent ET and precipitation data tied to their water budgets. Staff presented a draft policy framework for permanent landowner recharge facilities with an 80/20 benefit split. The district is monitoring invasive golden mussels and watching west side treatment trials before pursuing similar actions.
The board formed a committee to expedite development of a groundwater banking policy for landowner-funded recharge facilities, responding to urgency from stakeholders ready to invest private capital. The district reported retiring nearly 19,000 acres and reducing demand by over 54,000 acre-feet since 2017, though supplemental water acquisition remains below targets. All monitoring wells showed groundwater elevations above minimum thresholds, demonstrating SGMA compliance.
The district's oversight has been formally transferred from the State Water Board back to DWR, initiating a 1-2 year review of the 2025 Groundwater Sustainability Plans. S&P maintained the district's bond rating citing strong financials, despite downward pressure across irrigation districts. The initial 2026 State Water Project allocation was set at 10%, higher than the typical 5% start due to wet October-November conditions.
Board approved a $16.9M investment in a 4-megawatt linear generator facility that will cut power costs in half with a 4-year payback period. Water charges for 2026 were formally adopted, setting rates at $83 per acre-foot for State Water Project water plus $60 per acre-foot for delivered water. The updated SGMA Dashboard was approved for full public release, giving growers online access to their water budgets, consumption data, and compliance status through an interactive platform.
