1. Groundwater conditions are healthy, with a plan hearing scheduled for November. Groundwater Unit Manager Jason Gerdack said sustainability measures generally met their targets, although storage fell below its target in 2015 and 2016 before recovering in 2017. Storage is currently healthy; staff cited a 300,000-acre-foot year-end groundwater-storage target. Groundwater levels remained above subsidence thresholds, and the chloride-based seawater-intrusion indicator stayed below its 57-square-mile limit. In Llagas, about 21% of sampled wells exceeded the drinking-water standard for nitrate, while roughly 90% of wells assessed for trends had stable or decreasing nitrate concentrations. The full board is scheduled to consider the 2026 Groundwater Management Plan at a November 10 public hearing. Valley Water expects to submit the plan to the state by December 17.
2. Coyote Valley pumping nearly doubled over 20 years, prompting recharge planning. Total groundwater pumping rose from about 7,300 to 14,000 acre-feet, largely because of increased municipal and industrial pumping, primarily by Great Oaks Water Company. Coyote Valley agricultural pumping fell about 20%. In the Llagas subbasin, agricultural well counts fell about 7% while agricultural pumping rose about 5%. Staff said the Coyote Valley increase is a principal reason they are evaluating new managed-recharge facilities there through the Water Supply Master Plan.
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