Catch up on the latest GSA board meeting recaps anytime—at home, on the road, or on your tractor.
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The GSA is discussing potential changes to sustainable management criteria for groundwater dependent ecosystems that appear disconnected from the principal aquifer and influenced primarily by precipitation. Land subsidence criteria are being developed using a 0.09 feet per year planning rate with focus on California Aqueduct protection. An ad hoc committee recommended keeping arsenic and nitrate as key concerns and dropping selenium from the constituents of concern list.
In the Forebay and Upper Valley, analysts found no significant correlation between nitrate trends and pumping or groundwater levels; the same held for Upper Valley gross alpha. The committee favored no new water-quality action levels now, with a repeat analysis at the five-year review after the current cycle. It approved remote meetings, subject to six-month board renewal and an in-person public room, and set April 9 as its next meeting. A 50-year model projected modest declines.
The basin reached approximately 90% capacity following exceptional rainfall of 22.67 inches (exceeding the annual average), resulting in a 75.77-foot rise in water levels. Significant concerns were raised about stream gauge data accuracy, with readings showing errors of nearly 10 times actual flow values. The board reviewed the basin's 'high priority' classification under SGMA, identifying potential inaccuracies that could warrant reclassification to 'medium priority.'
The Board reviewed and gave direction on a new two-part regulatory fee structure concept that would charge both taxable and non-taxable parcels, with a flat parcel fee plus usage-based fees for agricultural cropped land and domestic users. The Board also supported continuing to explore reduced Part 2 fees for parcels using imported Feather River water. A draft five-year budget uses about $470,000 annually as a planning target to support SGMA compliance operations.
At its January 29 meeting, the joint committee heard that DWR requested more information on the 180/400-Foot Aquifer Subbasin plan by April 30. Staff outlined April 1 annual reports and January 2027 periodic evaluations, with possible plan amendments, including reconsideration of a seawater intrusion measurable objective. Deep-aquifer extraction has more than doubled in 15 years, and a draft management framework is planned for public review.
