Catch up on the latest GSA board meeting recaps anytime—at home, on the road, or on your tractor.
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Staff said 2027 SWP charges appear up ~7% but include an ~$866,000 error DWR plans to rebill; without it, charges should be about flat. At 45% allocation, staff estimated ~$249/AF, though that figure will change with the corrected bill. SWP allocation remains 45%. The State Water Board released a draft San Joaquin Delta plan; comments are due Sept. 18 and a hearing is set for Oct. 28-29.
Board gave consensus direction to open CVP water ordering wide open/first-come, first-served to move about 11,000 AF by Oct. 31. Staff said most canals would run except East Poplar; water could be used for irrigation or sunk/recharged, with discussion of $205/AF current-year water and separate $135/AF recharge invoices (prior-year blend) expected soon after parcel-split fixes.
The board approved a temporary emergency stormwater discharge agreement with Manteca, including reserving 16 acre-feet per year for the Tara Park school sites drainage needs. Lobbyists said wildfire liability reforms did not pass, and PG&E later said it would defer $2 billion in capital spending. AB 2026 was held again, and the governor may extend or issue an executive order for winter diversions.
The board approved the 2025 Agricultural Water Management Plan via Resolution 26-07, meeting Bureau of Reclamation and DWR requirements for five years. Staff previewed an AI-enabled board platform with searchable historic minutes and meeting briefings. Lake Kaweah was about 23,000 AF and Millerton about 240,000 AF; 748 AF of tertiary water was diverted last month and roughly half sold. A board member noted El Niño was not expected to develop.
Staff said the State Water Board's interim plan could impose pumping moratoriums near the Friant-Kern Canal, with a draft expected in January and possible action in April; staff discussed aiming for late October or early November to present a local alternative to Friant. Staff reviewed a potential 2027 shift to pump-based accounting; no action was taken and specifics are expected in October. The fallowing precipitation-credit policy item was tabled for refinement.
