Catch up on the latest GSA board meeting recaps anytime—on the road, on your tractor, or at home.
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.
The board approved plans for six new groundwater monitoring wells to address data gaps, with individual GSAs taking ownership and maintenance responsibilities. A major demand management program is being developed to reduce groundwater overdraft by 95,000 acre-feet annually, though Category A projects could lower this to 56,000 acre-feet that GSAs must voluntarily allocate among themselves by December 2026. Technical consultants are conducting detailed reviews to improve groundwater model accuracy through parcel-by-parcel validation of precipitation data and other inputs.
Board approved a 2026 budget featuring approximately $10 per contract acre increases in both O&M and Fixed Obligation rates, driven by a $600,000 increase for equipment inventory and aging infrastructure replacement. A comprehensive groundwater recharge study identified the White Wolf sub-basin as the most suitable location for future recharge projects, with conditions improving toward eastern areas. New environmental law changes now allow remote participation for board members.
The board tabled proposed marina contract amendments following public concerns about increased insurance costs and boat repair restrictions. Water storage remains strong at 75% reservoir capacity with significantly higher groundwater pumping in 2024 due to strategic operational changes. Early precipitation levels are promising at 70-130% of normal, while salmon recovery efforts showed extraordinary success with over 2,300 fish counted this season.
The Board approved 7 new surface water service applications while wait-listing 12 others pending a canal capacity study, and denied two requests to exit the water service system. Directors authorized up to $200,000 in additional funding for a measurement weir project to address issues with an old sand trap structure discovered during construction. The district is also moving forward with acquiring 100 acres for recharge basins using reserve funds and plans to implement a reverse auction process for competitive property purchases.
