The board approved an earthwork agreement with Cross Land Leveling and a $410,880 task order to rebuild half a mile of the Rim Ditch bank. Staff are preparing banking basins to receive water if supplies become available amid an outlook for strong-to-very-strong El Niño conditions through January–March 2027. Isabella Reservoir held about 140,166 acre-feet on October 19, and September in-district diversions totaled about 9,150 acre-feet.
Board gave closed-session direction (5-1) for staff to take steps to participate at 1% in Delta Conveyance Project planning costs. The board approved the 2027 budget ($16.35M revenue; $16.35M expenses), including a $500K increase to special legal/engineering tied to an October 2027 trial. Staff reported end-of-August storage accounts were near zero as tighter day-to-day water management kept operations on track.
Water delivery season is winding down, with canal shutdowns beginning late July through early August. No signs of golden mussels were observed on monitoring plates during a July 13 field review with Dudek, and staff is considering budget items for preventative chemical treatment systems. The audit for the year ended 12/31/2025 received a clean opinion, with total net position up ~$3.3 million (about $1.1 million higher than the prior year); the board formally accepted the report.
The board approved a just-under-$80K Dudek golden mussel vulnerability assessment to guide preventative actions. The shop building project stalled after no action was taken on a requested change order; staff expects the project will go back out to bid. River inflows are near 1,000 CFS; canal shutdowns are projected mid/late July (Stine) and mid/late August (Peaky & Farmers).
Staff reported a 61% April–July runoff forecast, low snowpack, and issued a proration letter with estimated amounts by service area. District storage accounts are very close to caps (with Stine and Farmers over cap), so BV/Stine/Farmers canals are running now to draw down ahead of summer. Staff does not anticipate near-term banking activity with Metropolitan Water District
