The board discussed a potential legal counsel transition that would maintain current rates while expanding the water law team. All three Kaweah Sub-basin GSPs have been submitted to DWR, starting a 75-day public comment period. A Prop 218 rate study is in progress, with a preliminary range of about $3–$25 per acre and a draft expected next month.
The Board approved a budget with about $245,000 in governance revenue and increased partnership investments, including $27,500 for basin-wide grant support and doubled funding for economic analysis. The State Water Resources Control Board recommended against probation and returned jurisdiction to DWR, which expects review to take about a year to 18 months. Emerging critical groundwater pressure requirements may force modifications to sustainability criteria, potentially requiring higher ...
The groundwater sustainability agency received a clean financial audit showing strong fiscal health with $3.6 million in assets and over $1 million in net position. The 2026 budget projects a $450,000 deficit due to ongoing costs for updating the groundwater sustainability plan, which requires substantial work for state approval. A new daily evapotranspiration monitoring tool will be implemented at $55,000 annually to help growers improve irrigation efficiency by up to 15% through real-time..
The Technical Advisory Committee discussed a new daily evapotranspiration tool costing $60,000 annually that would provide real-time water usage data to help growers manage irrigation, though some questioned its value. Staff presented a preliminary budget requiring assessment increases from $7.35 to approximately $26-27 per acre for fiscal year 2027 to fund plan updates, well mitigation programs, and implementation costs. The State Water Resources Control Board has still not scheduled a...
The board approved a new land-based assessment funding mechanism and set 2026 water allocations at 1.54 acre-feet per acre while addressing revenue shortfalls. Several landowner variance requests were granted and unpaid fees will now go directly to the county tax roll for more efficient collection.
