State Water Board Approval Expected: The State Water Resources Control Board is expected to approve the Kern Subbasin Groundwater Sustainability Plan on September 17th after the basin addressed most deficiencies. Three remaining issues were identified, but staff believes two have been resolved, with only the GSA sunset provision needing final approval—already addressed through recent amendments. If approved, the plan would return to DWR for a 6–8 week review before formal certification.
Subsidence Investigation Required: The district exceeded subsidence management thresholds at three monitoring points along the aqueduct within the GSA between 2024–2025, triggering mandatory investigations under SGMA requirements. While the subsidence rates were relatively modest (around 0.1 feet in most areas), the district must now conduct detailed studies and develop reports on the causes and mitigation measures.
Major Financial Commitments Approved: The board approved significant expenditures including up to $316,000 for the South Valley Water Resource Authority's fish-friendly diversion demonstration project. They also committed to basin-wide SGMA expenses, including technical and legal services, under an Amendment 3 agreement totaling $275,000 (with Wheeler Ridge’s share about $16,000).
Banking Changes Approved: The district will establish a Wells Fargo sweep account to improve cash management and interest earnings, moving away from reliance on county treasurer services that have experienced delays.
Water Carryover Limits: The district is projecting 20,000 acre-feet of water user carryover against a 5% limit of only 10,000 acre-feet, requiring growers to manage excess allocations before year-end.
Delinquent Accounts Update: Total delinquencies have improved significantly with only $38,000 remaining from two customers (Almond Blossom and Tap Vegetable), representing just 0.1% of revenue.
Construction Impact: Highway 166 construction will restrict access to district facilities from the west starting late September through December, requiring eastern approach routes for board meetings.
Database Upgrade Planned: Staff is moving forward with a $154,000 proposal from Provost and Pritchard to upgrade the district's water accounting database from Access to SQL Server.
Sites Reservoir Delays: The Sites Reservoir water right decision has been delayed beyond September, pushing back the timeline for participants to make final commitment decisions on the project. Updated costs are estimated at $6.2–$6.8 billion, though new Prop 1 funding has been allocated.
LandIQ Accuracy Concerns: Basin-wide ET monitoring through LandIQ is projected to cost $65,000–$72,000 annually. While some growers expressed concerns about accuracy, one participant reported meter readings within 0.7% of LandIQ estimates, suggesting reasonable precision.
Approved:
Denied:
Next Steps: The next regular board meeting is scheduled for the first Tuesday in October. Growers can contact the district at their headquarters at 12109 Highway 166 or participate remotely via GoToMeeting for future meetings. For questions about groundwater service charges, water allocations, or SGMA compliance, contact district staff directly. The biennial employee recognition dinner is scheduled for October 10, 2025, with RSVPs needed by September 26th.
