Catch up on the latest GSA board meeting recaps anytime—on the road, on your tractor, or at home.
The Multi-Benefit Land Repurposing Program held its first combined Steering and Outreach Advisory meeting, establishing a new structure. Three groundwater recharge pilot projects from Westlands are advancing through the review process and are expected to be scored by the December 17th meeting. Project submissions are now open with a Dec 1st priority consideration date, and projects must reduce reliance on groundwater and provide benefits to disadvantaged communities for at least 10 years.
The Commission approved emergency regulations allowing flexible use of uncommitted WSIP funds under Proposition 4 for existing projects to address inflation and additional public benefits. Labor concerns were raised about Sites Reservoir’s potential selection of Barnard Construction, and commissioners asked staff to bring Sites back soon for an update. Harvest Water remains on track for 2027, Willow Springs’ final award moved about five months, and Sites’ schedule slipped slightly.
DWR staff outlined upcoming changes on periodic evaluations and annual reporting. 62 basins must submit 5-year periodic evaluations by January 2027. Key requirements: document progress toward sustainability goals, explain challenges/undesirable results, and demonstrate adaptive management. DWR is developing a portal‑based annual reporting process, expected for Water Year 2026 reports due in 2027, with auto‑populated sections and automated exceedance tracking.
Consultants released Chapters 4 and 5 of Unified Water Plan for review, detailing environmental enhancement projects requiring 500,000 acre-feet annually and cataloging over 800 water supply projects, with comments due December 5. Board approved issuing membership contribution letters in December rather than February. A large stakeholder meeting is planned for late February 2026 to present the draft unified water plan and new watershed studies, building on the successful October meeting.
The basin previewed a new quarterly groundwater trend monitoring approach using simplified visual reports tracking 8 key wells, intended to make it easier to understand trends. The Q3 2025 monitoring showed overall basin stability. The well metering ordinance implementation continues, with the April 1, 2026 meter reading start date approaching, while enforcement procedures are being developed for the small percentage of delinquent well registrations.
