Catch up on the latest GSA board meeting recaps anytime—at home, on the road, or on your tractor.
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The committee discussed finalizing groundwater allocation rules for 2026, developing domestic well mitigation programs, and responding to new state requirements for subsidence monitoring. Growers need to be aware of upcoming deadlines for allocation opt-ins and alternative water source reporting.
The board voted 5-1 against a $75,000 dam-financing advisory amendment amid debate over stakeholder agreement. It voted 5-1 to recommend an $802,536 groundwater-monitoring agreement with the Salinas Valley Basin GSA; the GSA, rather than individual landowners, would be invoiced for this year’s services. Staff targeted a year-end draft of the Salinas River operations habitat plan and announced a September 9 stakeholder workshop.
The board addressed ongoing challenges with state oversight exclusion hearing delays and low well registration compliance while approving a promising groundwater banking feasibility study. Key operational updates included water delivery reports and equipment purchases, with continued focus on subsidence management around the Friant-Kern Canal.
At separate August 14 meetings, directors received Brown Act training and heard a CSIP assessment highlighting coordination concerns involving its two operating agencies and the GSA. A preliminary aquifer storage and recovery study estimated $250–$300 million for the scenarios studied, which did not meet seawater intrusion thresholds at modeled volumes. The board approved a revised regulatory fee policy.
The board approved a domestic well mitigation program and presented preliminary fee estimates of $19 per acre and $15 per acre-foot, with a Proposition 218 election planned for 2026. The GSA faces significant financial challenges with negative cash flow and needs sustainable funding to avoid state intervention.
