Catch up on the latest GSA board meeting recaps anytime—on the road, on your tractor, or at home.
Agency is grappling with nearly $100,000 in delinquent assessments and pursuing enforcement actions through outside counsel. 87.2% of water users have submitted the required annual extraction reports; complete data are needed for accurate annual reporting. A legal dispute continues over the wellhead-based allocation system, which has left 175 acres fallow due to water rights being tied to wells on adjacent properties involved in family litigation rather than the land itself.
Regional rate study updates were reported, including Redwood Valley potentially facing a 30% increase in March and 12% in July. The wastewater treatment plant’s discharge plan was approved and the district is working on land access to add monitoring wells. The GM relayed estimates that Eel River dam removals may be 5–7 years out and noted early state interest in Coyote Dam feasibility studies.
Board elected new leadership for 2026, with Director Akbari as President and Director Weed as Vice President. A $95,500 amendment was approved for the Peralta Boulevard main renewal project to replace aging infrastructure crossing the Hayward Fault with seismic-resistant design. Directors raised serious concerns about the escalating invasive golden mussel threat, which spreads faster than zebra or quagga mussels and has already clogged screens in the Delta.
Board advanced a collaborative domestic well mitigation program across 3 GSAs, approving core agreements and authorizing staff to finalize remaining details. Two property owner appeals to reclassify irrigated land as dryland were denied because wells remain on the parcels and have not been formally decommissioned. A 5‑year temporary recharge permit was secured for Stony Creek, reducing the need for repeated applications, with equipment deployment planned for three sites.
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.
