Catch up on the latest GSA board meeting recaps anytime—on the road, on your tractor, or at home.
The advisory committee reviewed progress toward returning to DWR oversight, recommended a reduced water allocation for 2026, and advanced the well registration program with incentives. Additional discussions covered injection well pilots, well inventory expansion, and subsidence monitoring updates.
The committee reviewed multiple groundwater monitoring platform options and recommended a domestic well mitigation fee structure that would be significantly offset by growing penalty revenue collections. Penalty collections increased from $55,000 to $427,000 year-over-year, providing substantial relief for the proposed mitigation fees.
The Water Board proposed a new graduated SGMA fee structure that would lower costs for most small and mid-sized farmers while increasing rates for large users. Key concerns included potential loopholes for large operators to avoid fees, use of budget reserves, and the fairness of layering new fees on top of existing GSA costs.
The board approved a $5.1 million budget with strong reserves, launched a new voluntary well registration program, and addressed key discoveries about well depths affecting subsidence management. They also planned management structure changes and extended the invoice payment deadline for 2025.