Catch up on the latest GSA board meeting recaps anytime—at home, on the road, or on your tractor.
Proud Partners of
The board approved (as an urgent item) sale terms for 151 Laws Ave to the City of Ukiah for $500,000 (City Council approval pending) and amended interim occupancy to $4,257/month rent until escrow closes. Staff discussed Scott Dam decommissioning impacts, winter-only diversions without added storage, and regional consolidation/cost-sharing among member districts.
The board approved lowering the Tulare and Kings county land-based assessment from $10 per acre to $6. Staff reported that 2026 is shaping up to be the driest enforcement year, driving discussions with surface water agencies over credit policies to prevent excessive groundwater pumping, no policy has been adopted. A framework for regional land subsidence management zones was presented, with the board directing staff to develop a timeline and gather public input before decisions are made.
Lower Basin states proposed a 2026–2028 bridge: 1.25 MAF/yr lower basin reductions in 2027–2028 with CA at 440,000 AF/yr, plus 300,000 AF additional conservation total (funding-dependent). SWP stays 30% (possible May change). Proposal adds 3%/yr ICS evaporation and tightens ICS access to 0 at Mead 1,000 ft.
Staff reviewed WY 2026 cost-recovery scenarios for a $680,413 GSA operating budget, presenting equivalent extraction-fee framings—$50.03/AF on the 1.01 AF/acre allocation, $333/AF on the 0.15 AF/acre safe yield, or $185/AF on the 0.27 AF/acre pump methodology—all recovering the same total (equivalent to ~$50.03/acre if expressed as a land-based assessment); no formal recommendation was made. GEARS had a manual-entry bug; the state backed off May 1 penalties with no new date announced.
The coordinated Kings River irrigation run is planned to start May 15 for ~75 days; April 1 supply was mid-40%. People's Ditch start timing was discussed as potentially end-of-May/early-June, with Last Chance typically starting about a week later. GM search continues, with full-board interviews planned for May 15. The Apex Water Bank was described as state-recognized. The interim management subcommittee recommended the Apex Ranch lessee pay a ~$20,000 GEARs bill.
