Subbasin staff reported a coordinated single-GSP budget of ~$1.4M basin-wide through 2026, with PIDGSA's share ~$46,850 (potentially higher if not all GSAs participate). A fallow program is being explored, and staff will monitor allocation compliance now that 2026 allocations are posted in BasinSAFE. Low well registration is prompting staff to pull state records; a registration deadline will be discussed with stakeholders.
Staff reviewed WY 2026 cost-recovery scenarios for a $680,413 GSA operating budget, presenting equivalent extraction-fee framings—$50.03/AF on the 1.01 AF/acre allocation, $333/AF on the 0.15 AF/acre safe yield, or $185/AF on the 0.27 AF/acre pump methodology—all recovering the same total (equivalent to ~$50.03/acre if expressed as a land-based assessment); no formal recommendation was made. GEARS had a manual-entry bug; the state backed off May 1 penalties with no new date announced.
GEARS reporting is due May 1 (fees $300/well + $20/AF; 25% late penalty). Staff relayed that if you have an irrigation well and a domestic well on the same property, both must be reported. Stakeholders discussed (based on a webinar) how recharge credits may be treated in reporting, and the April 21 exclusion-denial hearing was discussed.
State staff recommended denying Tule Subbasin exclusion requests; PID plans public comments ahead of the April 7 State Board meeting and related staff discussions. Growers must register wells and use GEARS before May 1, 2026. The Board approved a resolution continuing the ETGSA 2024 Amended GSP and 2024 Coordination Agreement as PID’s interim program.
The Basin Safe data migration is delayed due to complications converting water types and field identifiers, temporarily preventing growers from viewing groundwater pumping history. The draft water budget shows the district averaging a net increase of 6,400 acre-feet per year when only in-GSA recharge and pumping are compared, while including subsurface flows shows an average storage decline of 2,200 acre-feet per year. Staff will meet with State Water Board members in February to discuss ...
