Catch up on the latest GSA board meeting recaps anytime—at home, on the road, or on your tractor.
Proud Partners of
Porterville ID discussed executing (subject to legal review) a 50/50 cost-share agreement with the City of Porterville for the Friant-Kern Canal turnout project (~$2.6M total; ~$1.3M each). Friant's dewatering timeline is shifting toward mid-November, tightening the construction window. Lower Tule extended its run to July 29–30; water deliveries expected through end of October.
Both subbasins remain in overdraft despite recent groundwater-level recovery. In the 180/400, seawater intrusion and deep-aquifer levels triggered undesirable results each year evaluated. Staff proposed moving the seawater-intrusion measurable objective from Highway 1 to the 2017 extent; no change was approved. East Side groundwater levels and storage triggered undesirable results in 2021–2023; among sites with sufficient 20-year data, 25% declined, 8% rose and 67% showed no trend.
The board approved a 2027 irrigation rate increase, setting fixed charges at $65/acre and volumetric rates at $10.75–$18.25/acre-foot. A motion to freeze volumetric rates at 2026 levels was also approved (3–2), though the final staff-recommended rate schedule then passed (4–1). An emergency water conveyance agreement for Circle JM was ratified, capped at 100 acre-feet over six weeks. The board also authorized a ~$4M flow meter program.
Groundwater use management and well mitigation programs are moving toward January 2027 implementation, with each management area developing action plans to meet allocation criteria. Don Pedro Reservoir sits at 93% capacity, though end-of-season projections are roughly 10 feet lower than last year. A new development fee schedule is being introduced to shift engineering and administrative costs from irrigation ratepayers to urban development projects, with a public hearing in late August.
Groundwater discussions focused on urgent City of Tulare well impacts and strategies including exchanges, paid fallow, and injection wells. The summer run ended after six weeks, delivering ~68,000 acre-feet amid strong demand. Staff discussed golden mussels and Friant FY2027 budget including a ~$3.5M chemical treatment program.
