Catch up on the latest GSA board meeting recaps anytime—at home, on the road, or on your tractor.
Proud Partners of
Zanjero presented a groundwater consumption methodology using OpenET minus effective precipitation and surface water deliveries, with methodology lock-in aimed for August. Effective precipitation proposes a single basin-wide average from four CIMIS stations. The Board unanimously approved Woodard & Curran's scope to respond to DWR comments; funding options are expected to return at a future meeting.
Board members discussed frustrations with the GSA interim plan process and expected more clarity at a joint meeting next week. Financials through June 30 were presented and a motion and second to approve were made. An assessment rate of 1.41 was discussed; several budget/revenue figures were garbled. They noted timing limits and a new assessment could take about a year to implement. Board members raised concerns about consultant spending and facilitated meetings yielding little value.
Water deliveries are near full capacity with almost 4,000 acre-feet scheduled for July, and a final 10,400 acre-feet transfer to Lower Tule will occur in July. Golden mussels were discussed; speakers said they have not been detected this far north yet, but staff noted uncertainty. Staff said the district agreed to a Nov. 1 canal shutoff date and expects to be on the new canal when deliveries resume at the end of January.
Water season may end late July; directors discussed running storage out vs. carrying it over, with a preference voiced to run it out. A ~$10 per-acre assessment increase was floated to fund faster recharge expansion; the 2027 budget public hearing was continued to July 22. Groundwater fell ~2.1 ft last year; El Niño was mentioned as a factor adding urgency to recharge planning.
Staff reported submitting accounting to support treating wellfield pumping as recovered stored surface water vs groundwater, potentially affecting future State Board billing. A July 16 State Board meeting is upcoming. The Board voted to set the 2027 assessment at $267.27/acre and tabled the Tule Basin Water Quality Coalition appointment.
