The board discussed prioritizing Well 23 and a direct-delivery screen over Well 33, and passed a capital-project schedule motion. No separate construction contract was approved. The initial 2027 budget shows a $71,934 gap; staff will bring revisions in November. Staff also discussed a possible future shift to pumping-based groundwater accounting. No 2027 allocation or water-rate increase was adopted.
Staff reported submitting accounting to support treating wellfield pumping as recovered stored surface water vs groundwater, potentially affecting future State Board billing. A July 16 State Board meeting is upcoming. The Board voted to set the 2027 assessment at $267.27/acre and tabled the Tule Basin Water Quality Coalition appointment.
The board approved joining a single sub-basin-wide Groundwater Sustainability Plan and a unified well mitigation fund (~$5,000 share). A State Water Board exclusion request hearing is next Tuesday at 9 a.m.; growers are urged to attend. Staff flagged water budget discrepancies with the state's analysis, and a follow-up call is scheduled to reconcile the numbers.
