Groundwater accounting platform launches January 1, 2026, with 50% of growers already registered and deadlines approaching: December 15th for alternative water source credits and January 31st for flow meter attestations and inactive parcel identification. Board discussed Land Repurposing Program, which saved 4,655 acre-feet of groundwater this year. $150,000 planning funding is available with applications due January 30th and free technical assistance available by January 9th.
The Board approved submitting a $1 million conservation easement project covering 77 acres to the Department of Conservation, which will permanently retire groundwater allocations as part of a larger floodplain restoration effort. A five-year, $290,000 contract was approved to continue the Groundwater Accounting Platform that helps growers track water usage and allocations. Staff presented the timeline for developing a new Phase 2 fee structure to fund ongoing operations, with public ...
The Technical Advisory Committee is developing recommendations to ensure groundwater allocation rules don't penalize farmers for using cover crops, proposing additional precipitation credits for verified cover crop fields. Farmers will have two options: either exclude cover crop fields from satellite monitoring entirely or keep them in the system while receiving enhanced precipitation credits. Staff will analyze satellite data from cover cropped versus fallow fields to determine ...
The board reviewed land repurposing program compliance, noting nine of 14 participants to the non-watering agreement showed water use due to monitoring anomalies, not actual irrigation, and granted waivers. Two appeals seeking irrigated agriculture designations were unanimously denied for lacking required infrastructure. The board also approved a $2M contract for converting 150 acres of almonds into native grassland with a 50-year deed restriction under the state’s multi-benefit land...
