Committee approved a draft policy for an incentivized fallowing program that will pay farmers $730 per acre annually for 3 consecutive years to voluntarily fallow fields, with applications accepted November-December for 2026 implementation. Staff recommended rescinding a priority action area designation for monitoring well ETSGSA-08 after discovering calculation errors. 47% of groundwater accounting platform accounts remaining unclaimed, which represents only 26% of total acres.
The groundwater management board collected $2.3 million from landowner fee deposits while processing over 100 help desk requests and 15 reclassification applications. The board unanimously denied the first landowner appeal for payment waivers due to lack of existing waiver policies, prompting discomfort and calls for policy alternatives. Comprehensive incentive payment procedures were approved for agricultural land repurposing and fallowing programs, with payments ranging from $730 per acre..
The board approved comprehensive Phase 2 rules establishing new self-reporting deadlines for cover crops, fallowing, surface water use, and recharge activities starting in 2026, with a different reporting window applying for 2025. A self-reporting workshop will be held immediately following the September 25th meeting to demonstrate the groundwater accounting platform. The board also discussed appeals from growers with approximately 110 acres who object to Category 1 water deposit fees for fields they don’t plan to irrigate, with final consideration scheduled for next month’s meeting.
The committee discussed billing confusion related to groundwater use fees, upcoming Phase 2 rule changes introducing fallow and recharge credits, and new monitoring infrastructure. Additional updates included MLRP program progress, enhanced monitoring in critical areas, and real-time data tools for growers.
Board meeting covering groundwater use fee implementation, LandIQ data system updates, and budget approval for fiscal year 2025-26. Significant discussion on grower concerns about data delays and fee structure.
