Catch up on the latest GSA board meeting recaps anytime—at home, on the road, or on your tractor.
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Staff reported that the state's Tule interim plan could impose a two-mile pumping moratorium along the Friant-Kern Canal by April 2027, and staff noted the framework could be analogized to the Tulare Lake Subbasin's subsidence issues. A court ruling may allow probation billing to proceed for some GSAs; the state also pushed back on the well mitigation plan and DWR called the subsidence approach too reactive.
The board voted to withdraw from IWPC and send a letter stating intent to rejoin through the Ukiah Valley Water Authority. Staff reported water sold last month was up 85% year-over-year due to extreme heat; some leaks were found and customers notified. IWPC/Sonoma Water updates discussed NERF diversions and Coyote Dam modernization as long-term efforts.
Staff reported that Lake Piru is being drawn down to capture expected El Niño storm inflows this winter, with releases ramping up through fall. Groundwater in the Fillmore Basin remains near historic highs, though surface conditions are dry. The executive director announced he will retire from UWCD on Nov. 6, 2026, and the board discussed addressing the transition, possibly with a subcommittee, at a future meeting.
The board adopted a groundwater extraction fee of $50.67 per acre per year (based on 0.15 AF/acre Native Sustainable Yield) to fund PID GSA operations, separate from PID district assessments. Staff reported that a potential State pumping moratorium near the Friant-Kern Canal is still conceptual, with no draft released. Staff also noted that state GEARS invoices began mailing August 6 and that growers have 30 days from receipt to petition for reconsideration of incorrect extraction figures.
On August 20, the Salinas Valley Basin GSA Advisory Committee discussed the board’s August 13 selection of Portfolio 3A as its preferred strategy, with nine ayes on an 11-member board; no individual projects were approved. OceanWell presented an early-stage subsea desalination concept with no Monterey Bay price. Members pressed for continued examination of alternatives, including ideas from Monterey One Water and the Salinas Basin Water Alliance, and approved the July 16 minutes subject to corrections.
