Catch up on the latest GSA board meeting recaps anytime—at home, on the road, or on your tractor.
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The board approved the FY 2026-27 budget and scheduled a June public hearing for the proposed $170/acre-foot groundwater extraction fee. Optional Well C was removed from the long-term projection, dropping projected fees to roughly $65/acre-foot in years three through five. Well B was shifted out one year in the budget after the property owner revoked site access.
The board unanimously approved the hiring of Ellen Viera as the new General Manager, with a start date discussed as the 27th near the start of the irrigation water run. The Board added an emergency agenda item for a ditch tender. Additionally, the board approved an interim leave policy (Resolution 2026-03) establishing 40 hours of sick leave and 96 hours of vacation accrual annually.
The board stayed implementation of the groundwater allocation policy pending revisions, including registration/reporting for non-agricultural use and no year-to-year carryover of unused water. The board approved $36,086.39 (18.398%) as its share of a $196,000 sub-basin model update to refine native yield by GSA and aquifer. Sub-basin GSAs are also progressing toward a single unified Groundwater Sustainability Plan targeting completion in Q1 2027.
Grower rate-setting work continues toward a Prop 218 process: delivered water charges are projected to rise ~5% annually over five years, and staff may bring a Prop 218 procedures resolution in June. Rural residential augmentation bills are projected to drop ~20% next year due to lower usage assumptions. College Lake is preparing to resume operations June 1 while teams address last season's water quality issues.
The SWP allocation was raised to 45% for Water Year 2026, while groundwater storage declined by ~1.5 million acre-feet in WY2025. DWR is implementing its Subsidence BMP through local GSA meetings focused on avoiding irreversible subsidence. WSIP updates covered Sites Reservoir and Chino Basin progress; a draft water-rights decision may limit Sites diversions and affect project economics, with Sites final award hearing scheduled in the future.
