At their July 16 joint meeting, the Forebay and Upper Valley committees discussed 10 potential demand-management measures in a developing contingency framework targeted for board consideration this fall. Members discussed drought-related fallowing and reservoir operations; staff said the GSA does not control releases and DWR expects demand-management planning. Forebay approved its April 28 minutes with a date correction; Upper Valley separately approved its minutes.
The Monterey Subbasin Implementation Committee approved its April 23 minutes and reviewed a proposed valley-wide demand management framework with six agricultural and four domestic measures. Staff aims to bring the framework to the board this fall; no measures were adopted. Members urged timely, simpler implementation toward 2042. An ERA Economics consultant said scenarios run so far show demand management alone would not resolve seawater intrusion.
The board set FY 2026 fees at $13.83 per cropped acre and $5.32 per connection. DWR crop maps replace assessor land-use codes for the acreage calculation; mapped idle and unclassified acres also count. Staff updated the board on Salinas River and seawater-intrusion feasibility work under a $10.3 million grant, and on demand-management planning across subbasins.
The 180/400-Foot Aquifer Subbasin Implementation Committee approved its April 3, April 14 and May 20 minutes. Injecting treated brackish groundwater instead of delivering it modeled slightly better than a medium-scale option; costs are unknown. Without coastal extraction, about 76,000 acre-feet per year of continuous injection could meet the 2040 seawater-intrusion threshold, but no supply was identified. Staff outlined a Salinas River alternatives study.
The Executive Committee approved its April 24 minutes and agreed to advance revised regulatory fee policy and subbasin committee program drafts to the board after further edits. Counsel said the fee proposal consolidates prior provisions without changing fee methodology; staff will revisit basin and subbasin definitions. The committee kept the program’s meeting guidelines. The fee policy could first reach the board in August; the program may follow in August or September.
