Catch up on the latest GSA board meeting recaps anytime—on the road, on your tractor, or at home.
District is pushing for agricultural well meter installations by March 2026 with minimal farmer response, prompting approval of a $9,000 consultant to boost outreach efforts. Unmetered wells will face significantly higher penalty fees based on conservative usage estimates to incentivize compliance. Board also reviewed agreements for a major $55+ million advanced water purification facility that will require specialized staffing and provide critical water supply reliability for the valley.
District presented a significantly revised groundwater replenishment program draft through in-lieu recharge and direct recharge facilities. A new 'limited implementation year' option allows up to 12,000 acre-feet at $400 per acre-foot, potentially doubling program availability. The enhanced program eliminates board discretion by automatically activating when two objective criteria are met: uncapped allocations and excess river flows above regulatory minimums.
The board approved major changes to the Miller fallowing program, extending the look-back period from 2 to 5 years and eliminating future deadlines for returning land to production. Zach Merkel was appointed to fill a vacant director position through 2027, while the board explored contracting for treasurer duties due to the significant time commitment. Public comments raised concerns that core Groundwater Sustainability Plan components remain unimplemented years later, questioning whether basin-wide management is appropriate given localized groundwater issues.
The committee approved rules for a Domestic Well Mitigation Program offering up to $35,000 per property for landowners whose wells failed since 2020 due to groundwater decline, and recommended hiring Davids Engineering for $514,000 to manage the program despite farmer concerns about costs. They also approved moving to a single satellite measurement provider (Hydrosat) to save approximately $300,000 annually, though this decision faced opposition since roughly half of current growers will be forced to switch systems from their existing providers.
Board adopted a comprehensive 30-year water supply master plan emphasizing lower-cost strategies including recycled water projects and reservoir participation. They maintained the existing agricultural water rate policy capping farm water charges at 10% of municipal rates to support local farming communities. Additionally, the board approved tripling participation in the Sites Reservoir project by acquiring additional storage capacity for $618,500.
