Catch up on the latest GSA board meeting recaps anytime—on the road, on your tractor, or at home.
The board approved a $256 million water treatment plant expansion after reaching 80% capacity threshold, while also moving forward with a $1.49 million pipeline connection project and related land purchases. Despite maintaining strong finances with $122.9 million in cash and investments, board members expressed concerns about potentially missing millions in additional interest income by not utilizing higher-yield California investment funds that offer nearly double their current returns.
The board unanimously approved 30-year marina concession agreement amendments that increase revenue sharing and establish clearer maintenance standards while transferring houseboat permit fees to the concessionaire. The new agreements include enhanced compliance mechanisms and updated low-water contingency plans for drought conditions. September showed favorable financial performance with retail revenues nearly on budget and continued strong investment income from higher interest rates.
A comprehensive demand management framework was presented establishing five stages of water restrictions based on groundwater conditions, with the local area currently in Stage 1 requiring minimal restrictions. Implementation will be sub-basin specific rather than valley-wide, with costs borne by areas experiencing problems. While the framework outlines potential agricultural measures like conservation and pumping limits, specific policies and decision-making processes still need ...
The $7.5 billion Sites Reservoir project will require a $1.8 billion contribution for 300,000 acre-feet of storage capacity, expected to deliver 50,000 acre-feet annually. Colorado River negotiations focus on permanent reductions of 1.5 million acre-feet annually to address structural deficits, with California's share being 440,000 acre-feet. A dispute between Upper and Lower Basin states over compact obligations could significantly impact future water reliability and legal water flows.
The groundwater sustainability agency received a clean financial audit showing strong fiscal health with $3.6 million in assets and over $1 million in net position. The 2026 budget projects a $450,000 deficit due to ongoing costs for updating the groundwater sustainability plan, which requires substantial work for state approval. A new daily evapotranspiration monitoring tool will be implemented at $55,000 annually to help growers improve irrigation efficiency by up to 15% through real-time..
