The groundwater sustainability agencies are moving to an independent governance model under a new Joint Powers Authority (JPA) that will take effect on March 1, 2026. This marks a major transition away from current oversight arrangements and will centralize decision-making for the Delta-Mendota Subbasin. In addition, the agencies approved a Domestic Well Mitigation Policy after extensive negotiations with state regulators, meeting a critical requirement for groundwater management implemen...
The coordination committee approved moving forward with a Joint Powers Agreement that all 23 groundwater agencies must adopt by Thanksgiving 2025 to create unified governance. With $7.62 million in grant funds requiring expenditure by year-end, agencies requested project scope changes to ensure full utilization of allocated resources. Water quality monitoring revealed concerning threshold-exceedances at multiple wells, prompting voluntary pumping reductions in affected areas.
