Catch up on the latest GSA board meeting recaps anytime—at home, on the road, or on your tractor.
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Dry-farm vineyard soils stored water efficiently and supported deep roots; modeling found vineyard replant idling could reduce pumping ~1,250–2,500 acre-feet/year (2.5–10%) and improve streamflow, and a recharge heat map flagged priority areas near Calistoga, St. Helena, and north of Napa for managed aquifer recharge.
Updated modeling shows most minimum-threshold exceedance events are smaller; staff will proceed with detailed analysis of Event 3 and combined Events 6–8. The five-year GSP periodic evaluation is underway; staff proposed deferring any GSP amendment until after a court physical solution. Ordinance No. 5 was adopted.
The board approved a ~$37,000 Cawelo GSA cost share for 2026 GSP implementation (Agreement 2601) and approved Resolution 732 declaring necessity for the 2026 special assessment. SWP allocation remains 30% with uncertain outlook. Staff is preparing chelated copper treatment at Pump Station B and possibly Station 8 if Article 21/CDC water is taken.
Board preliminarily adopted a ~$1.1M FY 2026-27 budget using a 3% fee assumption of $46.04/acre-foot; revenues are projected flat due to lower pumping after three wet years. WY2025 precipitation was well above average and groundwater levels were above minimum thresholds at all representative monitoring points with available data. Model v2.1 shows ~37,000 AF decline since 1975; 50-year scenarios are next.
Groundwater averaged 173.3 ft depth this spring (vs 175 ft last spring); staff noted spring 2014 was 176 ft. Staff are awaiting a State Board staff report on Pixley’s exclusion request; if not excluded, May 1 reporting applies. The Kaweah/Tule banking investigation aims for a first draft in ~30 days; a joint meeting is tentatively Apr 29.
