Top 3 Major Takeaways:
2025 Land Fallowing Program Approved at $400/acre: The board approved a third pilot year of the land fallowing program with a fixed price of $400 per acre and a maximum budget of $1 million on a first-come, first-serve basis. This represents a shift from the previous auction-style pricing to a simplified fixed rate, with the program expected to open in September and cover approximately 2,500 acres of fallowed land.
Collection Issues Continue with Only 50-60% Payment Rate: Staff reported that despite doubling water rates and reducing allocations, only 50-60% of accounts have paid their 2024 water bills, compared to 90% collection rates in previous years. The board authorized setting a public hearing for October 13th to enforce liens against approximately 95 delinquent accounts representing $560,000 in unpaid fees.
2025 Water Allocations Finalized with Slight Precipitation Reduction: Final 2025 allocations were confirmed ranging from 1.66 to 2.24 acre-feet per acre across the GSA, with a slight decrease due to lower precipitation. The allocation includes 0.62 AF/acre sustainable yield, 0.31 AF/acre Tier 1 temporary water, 0.23 AF/acre Tier 2 temporary water, plus variable precipitation credits.
Additional Key Takeaways:
Mitigation program costs averaging $56,000 per well replacement, with the first completed project coming in close to the $9,300 estimated average cost.
New monitoring well network approved to address data gaps in priority subsidence areas, with costs and timeline to be presented next month.
DWR released new subsidence management best practices document that GSA staff will review and potentially comment on by September 17th deadline.
Well registration pilot program verified 65 wells through field visits, providing insight into the time and resources needed for broader registration efforts.
Water banking investigation with Lower Tule River Irrigation District approved to explore cross-valley groundwater banking opportunities with Southern California agencies.
Data Management System upgrade approved at $25,000 cost split three ways between Kaweah sub-basin GSAs to include water quality and stream gauging information.
Board Actions:
Next Meeting: September 8, 2025 at 1:00 PM
For questions or comments, contact Greater Kaweah GSA staff at (559) 302-9987 or visit www.GreaterKaweahGSA.org.
