Catch up on the latest GSA board meeting recaps anytime—at home, on the road, or on your tractor.
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Staff reviewed the draft FY27 Board Work Plan, covering governance, conservation, water supply, flood protection and affordability. Directors supported further work on joint conservation initiatives and Los Vaqueros storage discussions, while staff outlined an update to its conservation strategy. The Board Policy and Monitoring Committee will review feedback with staff before a revised draft returns to the board for consideration.
Saucelito Irrigation District GSA began applying a native groundwater allocation of 0.27 acre-feet per acre on October 1, 2026. Geivet called the subbasinwide figure a starting point; ET-based consumption is no longer an option for the new GSA year. Growers were urged to use surface water first. A draft would leave 10% of recharged water in the ground, but growers currently receive full credit. Staff is developing a subsidence plan as the state considers a Friant-Kern Canal pumping moratorium.
At its October 22 meeting, the board awarded a $435,000 Phase 2 monitoring-well contract within a $750,000 total project budget. Draft SGMA grant guidelines describe more than $360 million in funding, with the Kings Subbasin able to seek up to $15 million; the basin plans to gather project submissions in January. Staff expects a state review of the subbasin’s five-year evaluation by early 2027 and anticipates possible GSP revisions.
At its October 22 meeting, the Kern County Water Agency board entered closed session on three existing litigation matters, two potential suits and price-and-terms negotiations involving State Water Project water and the Rio Bravo Hydroelectric Project. Other scheduled items included golden mussels, 2026 State Water Project and Central Valley Project allocations and operations, water banking and local State Water Project operations.
Staff is focused on GSP amendments and periodic evaluations due in January 2027. Members discussed how to review project ideas; Harmon suggested revisiting the process in January, but no procedure was approved. Board development, including SGMA education, was raised as a future topic. The committee approved a remote-meeting option, subject to Board authorization renewed at least every six months, the committee’s 2027 quarterly schedule and February meeting minutes.
