Catch up on the latest GSA board meeting recaps anytime—at home, on the road, or on your tractor.
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Water season is underway with projections pointing to a late-July shutoff (August extension unlikely) as May 1 snowpack is ~22% of the April 1 average. The board approved a 5-year, 2,100 AF/yr water sale to Hills Valley at $850/AF (~$1.4M/yr). Staff said waiting until Apr. 1 could have triggered ~12,000 AF of FID spill.
Spring 2026 groundwater monitoring shows 13 Eastern Principal Aquifer wells (33%) below minimum thresholds, matching fall 2025 levels. Stanislaus County aims to start a consultant by June 29 to develop the Non-District East action plan, due November 1, 2026. OID's Paulsell Lateral Expansion Phase 1 is in final stages of completion, expanding canal capacity from 30 cfs toward 180 cfs and expected to improve delivery and groundwater recharge.
The board approved a WaterSMART grant application to replace CCWD's last in-service redwood tank with a 120,000-gallon steel tank and adopted a resolution supporting ACWA's Vision for Our Water Future. Staff reported PG&E bored through an 8-inch main in Wilseyville during undergrounding work, triggering a boil water advisory for about 72 residents.
The board approved a ~$190K contract to update the groundwater model with recent hydrology data for SGMA work. A new state grant round (300M+ statewide) may offer 100% funding; recharge near Corcoran was discussed. Staff said non-reporting can affect allocations; non-compliance fees were not added yet.
The board approved 2026 fixed obligation rates at 30% SWP allocation: SWP FO $630/AF (net $562/AF after ~$4M groundwater credits), supplemental FO $445/AF, and melded FO $502/AF (~1.72 AF/acre). A $15/acre OMR rate increase was approved to offset golden mussel treatment costs, with ~50% mussel mortality reported so far. The board also voted unanimously to oppose AB 2447, a bill critics warn could collapse California's irrigated lands regulatory program and agricultural production.
