1. Merced Subbasin GSA Groundwater Allocation Now in Effect — Deadlines for Well Registration Still Open for Some Uses The Merced Subbasin GSA's groundwater allocation rule officially went into effect on January 1, 2026, following a test-run year in 2025. Most registration deadlines have passed, but growers with non-field agricultural operations (dairies, poultry farms, animal feeding operations) can still register wells and delineate buildings on the groundwater accounting platform, since remote sensing tools like OpenET cannot track consumption from those areas. The GSA board is also considering new policies on riparian area consumption and cover crops in the coming weeks.
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