1. Venticopa Management Area Allocation Decision Deferred Pending Model Improvements
The committee voted 4-1 to defer allocations in the Venticopa management area until the next major model update (scheduled for 2028). New fault investigation data revealed multiple complex faults that significantly change the conceptual understanding of groundwater flow between Venticopa and the main basin—far more than previously understood. The current model cannot adequately simulate the area's groundwater recovery during wet years, making it unsuitable for determining if allocations are needed. The estimated cost to update the model specifically for Venticopa would be $160,000-$260,000, but concerns were raised about spending this amount on one small area when basin-wide model improvements are needed.
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