The board approved its 2027 meeting calendar. DMC subsidence Task 1 remains on schedule and on budget; the latest approved invoice placed progress at 35.7% of the overall budget, not physical completion. Golden mussels delayed O’Neill maintenance by a week and added about $25,000 in contractor costs. Low Delta inflows and salinity intrusion are limiting south Delta pumping. Staff expects to bring a proposed Task 2A price to the board around January.
The board adopted a CVP Performance Framework; south-of-Delta agricultural allocations averaged about 36% over 15 years. Staff reported more golden mussels at Walter Wasteway, discussed roughly $1 million as a baseline operating budget for Authority facilities next fiscal year, and plans to submit a control plan by mid-November. Delta-Mendota Canal subsidence work looked nearly half complete in the field, and concrete liner placement began.
Staff reported a 28–30 hour O'Neill Pumping Plant recommissioning window starting Sept. 23 that will leave very little water to meet demands for upper DMC users and Mendota Pool diverters. The board approved a CDM Smith task order (up to $887,617) for DMC subsidence program management. Staff urged infrastructure inspections ahead of rainy season due to worsening golden mussel buildup. AB 2032 awaits action at the Governor's desk.
The board approved agreements to facilitate a $25 million Reclamation award to Westlands Water District for groundwater banking and aquifer storage and recovery wells. Staff reported the Delta-Mendota Canal subsidence correction project is about 16% complete, with liner raises expected within roughly 45 days. New DWR Director Tom Gibson visited, emphasizing open collaboration and improved transparency on shared CVP-SWP facilities and costs.
No allocation update is expected in July despite above-average storage; Jones pumping may be limited to one unit by high tides, and directors asked for a formal advocacy update next month. DMC subsidence correction construction is underway and on schedule, while golden mussels spread north with new detections and growing operational costs expected to become recurring budget items.
