Catch up on the latest GSA board meeting recaps anytime—at home, on the road, or on your tractor.
Proud Partners of
Four land repurposing projects—including groundwater recharge and community resilience initiatives—have received conditional DOC approval and are scheduled to be presented to the Board of Directors for consideration on July 21st. Regional goals covering community health, water supply, habitat, and climate resilience are near-final, with public feedback still accepted via survey through August 7th.
The board approved a $165/acre assessment rate for 2026-2027, below the staff-recommended maximum of ~$180.33. Staff discussed rising subsidence risk and a possible tiered upper/lower aquifer allocation framework, with recommendations targeted by this fall. The SWRCB interim plan timeline was discussed: potential adoption by July 2027 with effect in 2028, adding uncertainty around local pumping management.
Water Year 2027 groundwater allocations remain unchanged at 9 inches tiered and 10 inches native yield, though staff flagged drier conditions and potential supply stress in 2030–2033. A $550K groundwater model update scope/budget was approved (MKGSA share stated as ~$183K under an equal cost-share arrangement) targeted for spring next year to produce outputs ahead of WY2028 allocations. Well registration remains behind at 358 of ~1,300 wells; staff expects a revised strategy within 30 days.
Unpaid 2025 penalties (~$892K across ~80 APNs) were approved by the committee 2-0 as a recommendation for Board adoption of special-assessment resolutions for tax-roll collection; 2024 unpaid items will receive a Notice of Levy. Staff discussed holding off on levying the $59/irrigated-acre GSP fee pending a cost review around Dec 2026. Farm unit scenarios were reviewed showing how growers can pool allocations across parcels to manage extractions and avoid penalties.
Board took no vote/action on the $1.3M Phase 2 mussel treatment while reviewing liability/insurance and alternatives; an August special meeting was discussed. Water supply is 100% Class 1, 0% Class 2, with earlier season taper expected. Board adopted Subsidence Exceedance Policy v2.0.
