Catch up on the latest GSA board meeting recaps anytime—at home, on the road, or on your tractor.
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The board approved a new 3-year incentivized fallowing program paying landowners $730 per acre annually to take irrigated land out of production, with applications opening November 1st. A priority action area was rescinded after discovering measurement errors that incorrectly triggered groundwater level violations. The agency has collected $2.3 million in groundwater fee deposits with true-up invoices expected in February.
The groundwater sustainability agency discussed positive developments regarding State Board oversight, with a staff report expected in January that could return the subbasin to state water department authority. The board must decide on organizational structure once a new subbasin-wide joint powers authority is formed, choosing between expanding current arrangements, maintaining separate cost-sharing agreements, or creating a standing committee. Immediate decisions are needed regarding...
Groundwater levels are rising significantly across the basin despite below-normal rainfall, indicating strong recovery due to reduced pumping and previous wet years. The board approved a new pumping credits policy that eliminates time limits and sets volume-based caps at four times users' sustainable allocations, moving to a "water bucket" system for greater drought management flexibility. Staff will intensify outreach to private well owners next year to develop required inventory and...
The board appointed Hallmark Group as Executive Director through June 2026 following leadership changes, while a regional stakeholder group recommended creating an entirely new governance entity due to "loss of trust" and structural limitations. The authority continues facing a funding crisis with no long-term financial mechanism beyond 2026 after the failed assessment election, though some member agencies indicated they could support operations through the current contract period.
The board approved a new streamlined framework to handle over 150 backlogged variance requests, with 38 requests totaling 9,000+ acre-feet likely to be denied due to sustainability concerns. Water transfer processes face significant timeline constraints due to state mandates and court deadlines, limiting the agency's ability to extend transfer request deadlines even when users need end-of-year data to determine their needs. Basin optimization projects moved forward, including approval of ...
