DWR Issues Warning Letter on Water Level Violations: The Department of Water Resources sent a letter stating that 13 monitoring wells fell below minimum thresholds in the 2024 water year, despite two consecutive wet years. If the same 13 wells fall below thresholds again next year, the subbasin would be experiencing undesirable results and face potential state intervention. The board expressed concern that these violations occurred after significant rainfall and recharge, suggesting either the monitoring thresholds may be set too high or there are deeper structural issues with the aquifer.
Regional Well Mitigation Program Proposed: The well mitigation committee recommended participating in a regional domestic well mitigation program modeled after Glenn County's drought response. This would create a single point of contact through North Valley Community Foundation for residents with dry wells, streamlining the process and sharing administrative costs across multiple GSAs rather than each agency managing their own separate programs.
Model Selection for Future Planning: The board voted to continue using the C2VSIM model for the required 2027 periodic evaluation rather than switching to the SVSim model used by Tehama County. This decision was made to maintain consistency with the Colusa Subbasin and avoid potential future costs, as DWR commits to updating C2VSIM while agencies would need to pay for SVSim updates themselves.
Clean Financial Audit: The GSA received an unmodified "clean" audit opinion for fiscal year 2024, with approximately $257,000 in net position and additional reserves for well mitigation and demand management programs.
Stony Creek Permit Progress: The five-year temporary permit application for Stony Creek diversions was submitted to the State Water Board on August 8th, with approval expected by early December 2025.
New Monitoring Wells: Twenty shallow monitoring wells are being installed near surface water features to better understand groundwater-surface water interactions, which will be critical for future regulatory requirements.
Domestic Well Monitoring: The GSA is still seeking volunteers for the domestic well monitoring program to track private well conditions throughout the subbasin.
Grant Extension Approved: DWR approved extending the GSP implementation grant through December 2026 to complete the periodic evaluation and several recharge projects.
Black Butte Reservoir Partnership: The board authorized participation in a regional memorandum of understanding for the Black Butte Reservoir Infrastructure Enhancement Project.
Interbasin Coordination: Staff-level coordination meetings are beginning with neighboring basins to address shared water management issues.
Approved:
For questions or comments about GSA activities, contact Lisa Hunter at 530-934-6540. The next meeting is scheduled for September 25, 2025 at 2:00 PM at the Glenn-Colusa Irrigation District Main Pump Station in Orland. Remote participation is available via Microsoft Teams, and meeting materials are available for public inspection at 225 North Tehama Street, Willows.
