Board approved an agreement with Itron to advance the AMI smart metering rollout, supported by $875K in grants. Staff reported outreach with Palm Springs and Cathedral City ahead of Ordinance 80 enforcement; turf removal saves ~92M gal/yr. GM reported a draft Sites Reservoir water right decision issued Mar 20 with comments due May 22; five contract issues remain.
Board voted 3-2 against solar at Wells 17/33/34, citing operational risk, conservation-driven runtime uncertainty, tight ITC timelines, and staff capacity. SGMA reports showed strong conditions: Indio added 137,000 AF in WY 2024-25; Mission Creek added ~4,900 AF with long-term storage averages near zero (balanced).
Colorado River negotiations are uncertain, with directors warning California could face major supply reductions after 2026. The board received reports on about $6 billion in State Water Project infrastructure needs, with SB 872 pursued for legislative relief, and heard that a key Sites Reservoir water right remains delayed. No major actions were taken beyond unanimous consent calendar approval.
The Board rejected a damage claim exceeding $35,000 from a trip-and-fall incident and forwarded it to liability insurance. The Colorado River Aqueduct shutdown continues for essential maintenance into early 2026. During Director comments, board members discussed ongoing Colorado River allocation negotiations and cited concerns about declining river flows and missed deadlines.
The Bureau of Reclamation approved the Sites Reservoir project, completing a critical environmental review milestone for California's water storage needs. State Water Project allocation increased to 30 percent, above the 20 percent staff expected, providing significant additional water supply. A catastrophic polyethylene service line failure at the airport exposed mapping issues, prompting investigation into detection methods for remaining unidentified lines.
