The board postponed its 2027 allocation decision to December 10 after receiving a legal comment letter. Staff proposed ending the 0.37-acre-foot-per-acre transitional allocation; the Groundwater Planning Commission proposed 1.32 acre-feet per acre of total-applied water. No 2027 allocation was adopted. Staff aims to present a draft subsidence order in December, while an inter-agency mediation idea remains under discussion.
Staff outlined a 2027 ET-based allocation of about 1.42 acre-feet per acre without transitional allocation; no allocation change was approved. The board removed precipitation credits for parcels enrolled in full-year voluntary fallowing. A proposed subsidence order could shift accounting to applied water in October 2027. Staff said a state pumping moratorium near the Friant-Kern Canal could begin around April 2027 absent an acceptable local alternative.
State water board action may impose pumping restrictions near the Friant-Kern Canal, potentially affecting tens of thousands of acres, with managers working on an alternative proposal for Bryant. Staff said transitional water allocations will likely be eliminated in the October recommendation. The board discussed a fallowing precipitation-credit loophole and agreed to keep the program as-is for now, with possible GPC review and a future proposal.
Staff discussed a potential 2027 shift from ET-based accounting to gross applied water, with an allocation around 0.82 AF/acre and a hard cap TBD. Staff reviewed the State Water Board's phased interim plan (Phase 1 near the Friant-Kern Canal; Phase 2 basinwide) and noted Phase 2 limits could be very low. Growers were urged to seek reconsideration of State invoices if banked/imported water was reported and to request a stay.
Staff reviewed a State Water Board moratorium threat along the Friant-Kern Canal corridor (2–3 mile zone; ~60,000–90,000 acres) and announced an affected-grower meeting for August 28. Staff discussed a proposed shift from ET/consumption accounting to total applied (gross supply) accounting targeted for 2027. Growers receiving State invoices were advised to petition for reconsideration if banked/imported water was reported.
