Catch up on the latest GSA board meeting recaps anytime—at home, on the road, or on your tractor.
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Staff said the draft GSP Periodic Evaluation (WY 2022 through part of 2026) will be released early next week for review through September 30, 2026. It reports groundwater levels averaging 42 feet above minimum thresholds and approximately 39,400 acre-feet of storage gain from 2022 through 2025. Draft plan amendments remove the non-dry-year limitation from the undesirable result definition, so threshold exceedances in any water year type will now trigger accountability.
On August 20, the Salinas Valley Basin GSA Advisory Committee discussed the board’s August 13 selection of Portfolio 3A as its preferred strategy, with nine ayes on an 11-member board; no individual projects were approved. OceanWell presented an early-stage subsea desalination concept with no Monterey Bay price. Members pressed for continued examination of alternatives, including ideas from Monterey One Water and the Salinas Basin Water Alliance, and approved the July 16 minutes subject to corrections.
The board adopted a groundwater extraction fee of $50.67 per acre per year (based on 0.15 AF/acre Native Sustainable Yield) to fund PID GSA operations, separate from PID district assessments. Staff reported that a potential State pumping moratorium near the Friant-Kern Canal is still conceptual, with no draft released. Staff also noted that state GEARS invoices began mailing August 6 and that growers have 30 days from receipt to petition for reconsideration of incorrect extraction figures.
The board approved a $135,599 comprehensive fee study contract with Confluence Engineering Solutions to review and simplify SCGA's revenue structure, targeting a new fee structure for FY 2028. Staff outlined a governance assessment and strategic visioning effort that could lead to JPA amendments. Draft periodic evaluation and 2027 GSP update documents are posted on the SCGA website for public review and are expected to return to the board in October.
Staff reported that the Small Farm Assistance Program for fallowing land through 2039 has seen fewer than 10 applicants despite an estimated 300 eligible growers. The board discussed the county SWP survey and directed staff to respond, listing about 2,500 acre-feet as a non-binding expression of interest. Staff also reported a net decrease in irrigated acreage, already reflected in current assessments.
