1. The proposed GSA budget for Water Year 2026 equates to the same total cost recovery, regardless of how the extraction fee is framed. Staff presented scenario fee framings to illustrate the same budget recovery of $680,413: charging $50.03 per acre-foot on the full 1.01 AF/acre allocation (safe yield + precipitation), $333 per acre-foot on just the 0.15 AF/acre native safe yield, or $185 per acre-foot on the 0.27 AF/acre pump methodology (which only applies to growers meeting certified-meter criteria). All framings are intended to recover the same total budget; staff noted this equates to about $50.03 per acre if expressed similarly to a land-based assessment, but the fee is being implemented as an extraction fee, not a land assessment. Discussion noted State Water Board scrutiny of rolling-average precipitation credits could potentially drive changes to how precipitation is accounted for (e.g., deducting precipitation in real time). This fee covers GSA operations only and is separate from any state-imposed extraction fees under probation. The committee made no formal recommendation to change the proposed budget.
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