Catch up on the latest GSA board meeting recaps anytime—at home, on the road, or on your tractor.
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Staff reported on development of the 2025 Urban Water Management Plan, which uses WSMP 2050 demand projections to assess supply reliability through 2045, with a draft expected for public review in May 2026. Concerns over past demand overestimates were raised, and staff were urged to meet with the Sierra Club to review its alternative model. The 2026 Groundwater Management Plan periodic evaluation is on track, with a public comment period expected to open in September 2026.
The basin showed improvement in Water Year 2025, with the critical Eastern Principal Aquifer gaining 5,000 acre-feet of storage and remaining ahead of interim milestones. Some wells still exceeded minimum thresholds, but interim milestones were not exceeded in the Eastern Principal Aquifer. Four new well applications were received, and a monitoring well installation project continues progressing through permitting.
The Board directed staff to use a single subsidence minimum threshold across the GSA, with the exact 2020 baseline value to be developed by staff and the Growers Committee and brought back for approval. Staff said the State Water Board wants the updated GSP to address new subsidence BMPs, which may extend the schedule. A $100 late registration fee was approved for wells over 2 acre feet not registered by April 30, 2026.
The Board approved a cost sharing amendment with Russian River Flood Control to defend a CEQA suit over the annexation CEQA documents, with estimated defense costs of up to $50,000. Staff explained that the planned annexation will not, by itself, lift existing domestic and agricultural moratoriums. The district received a $307,000 DWR grant reimbursement and aims to finish the project by late February, while seeking a short extension.
Groundwater models showed 25-30 years of slowly declining levels in Upper Valley and Forebay areas, though several committee members cited field evidence of rising water levels. The consultant stressed that seawater intrusion along an approximately 11-mile coastal stretch must be addressed within the 2040 SGMA timeframe. Discussion continued over integrated valley-wide planning versus focusing resources on the most impacted areas.
