TOP 3 MAJOR TAKEAWAYS:
Good News on State Oversight: The California State Water Resources Control Board staff found no notable red flags during their detailed review of the Groundwater Sustainability Plans and intends to transition the subbasin back to DWR oversight. This means the subbasin is on track to avoid continued state intervention, which would have imposed stricter regulations on water users.
New Groundwater Quality Monitoring and Reporting: The agency has implemented a comprehensive new groundwater quality monitoring program with seasonal sampling (spring and fall) across 71 monitoring sites. A Spring 2025 Groundwater Quality Report will be published soon to inform the public about water quality conditions, with emphasis that most residents receive treated water from public suppliers.
No Overdraft Allocations Continue: East Kaweah GSA is maintaining its policy of not allowing overdraft pumping for the 2026 water year, following the same allocation strategy as 2025. The Technical Advisory Committee recommended continuing land-based assessments rather than rate-based assessments, with allocations based on 25-year historical analysis.
ADDITIONAL KEY TAKEAWAYS:
Evapotranspiration (ET) Data Shows Positive Trends: Current year ET data shows approximately 15,000-20,000 acre-feet less water use compared to historical averages, suggesting conservation efforts and allocation policies are working.
Grant Projects Moving Forward: Implementation grants for Mariposa/City of Lindsay and Lewis Creek projects are complete, with East Kaweah receiving verbal approval to modify another grant to implement two monitoring wells instead of groundwater recharge.
Well Inventory Pilot Program Underway: Staff is conducting a well inventory pilot program in the Strathmore area to identify and catalog wells, which will help with future allocation and monitoring efforts.
Water Accounting Framework Delayed: The Water Accounting Framework update has been postponed beyond the originally planned 2026 allocation decisions to ensure accuracy, with model updates informing the framework.
Regional Subsidence Coordination Expanding: The Regional Subsidence Management Action Plan now includes participation from North Fork Kings and Westside subbasins, promoting collaborative approaches to subsidence management.
Small Community Wells Protection Plan in Development: Staff is developing water resiliency plans for identified small community wells in the subbasin, though connection count data remains challenging to obtain.
New Website Coming Soon: A redesigned East Kaweah GSA website will launch within the next couple of weeks to better handle increased activity and improve information accessibility.
How to Engage with East Kaweah GSA: For questions or comments, contact the agency at 559-562-2534 or visit their website. To subscribe to their newsletter for updates, visit ekgsa.org/keep-informed. The next Advisory Committee meeting date was not specified in this session.
