The SGMA Weekly

Lower Tule River Irrigation District staff put numbers on possible pumping cuts — 0.6 to 0.9 acre-feet per acre in the worst-affected subsidence zone — while Pixley consultants peg overdraft at roughly 1 acre-foot per acre per year. McMullin Area GSA hits reset on its Expansion Project with August 5 as the key checkpoint, and Corning Subbasin GSA raises fees to the maximum its existing Prop 218 as...

After years of slow restoration, federal dollars are about to meet dirt on the Friant-Kern Canal. This week's SGMA Weekly covers four Must Knows and three Trends from the past week of California water-agency board action. In this episode: • Friant Water Authority locks in a real groundbreaking date for the $200M Friant-Kern Canal subsidence fix — Phase 2A bid period July–August, October constructi...

This week the Department of Water Resources is treating subsidence as "irreparable harm" requiring immediate action — a stance shift surfaced at three different boards this week (Chowchilla, North Kern, Omochumne Hartnell). The California Water Commission lifted Sites Reservoir's conditional funding ceiling to $1.36 billion as a September water-rights decision looms. The State Water Board is float...

A California court enters Phase 2 of the Indian Wells Valley safe-yield trial — testing how a court-adjudicated number will line up against a GSA's SGMA sustainable-yield. Kern Subbasin moves to a stricter "critical head" subsidence standard tied to DWR's January 2026 BMPs. Plus: Tule advances a 20-year land repurposing program, Salinas weighs a deep-aquifer pumping moratorium, and the well-regist...

McMullin Area GSA's Proposition 218 election just passed in a landslide to fund a $56M flood capture expansion. The Bureau of Reclamation announced $176M in fresh Aging Infrastructure awards for the Delta-Mendota Canal and O'Neill Pumping Plant, with a $37.5M Kiewit contract approved to start the first canal subsidence fix. And a federal letter to DWR just opened up the larger ~$3B California Aque...

Federal canal-repair money just hit California in a big way: $200M to Friant-Kern, $235M to Delta-Mendota, and $50M to the San Luis Canal — totaling $485M+ in OBBB / Bureau of Reclamation investments discussed across this week's board meetings. Meanwhile, the snowpack supplying it all just collapsed to 3.5% of normal in the Tuolumne basin — a depth-of-collapse not seen since 1977. And Oakley exten...

DWR raised the State Water Project allocation from 30% to 45% on May 15 and Reclamation lifted the CVP South-of-Delta agricultural allocation from 20% to 25% — but statewide groundwater storage still declined by roughly 1.5 million acre-feet in Water Year 2025, with 83% of extractions concentrated in the San Joaquin Valley. Pajaro Valley, Omochumne Hartnell, and Mound Basin all surfaced selective...

The State Water Board's Tule interim plan is taking shape — staff revealed it could limit allocations to native safe yield only (under 0.25 AF/acre) with a 2-mile pumping moratorium and $20/AF probationary fees. Plus: four Valley GSAs hired Ewell Group to formalize a ~100,000 AF banking deal with the Metropolitan Water District; DWR Director Karla Nemeth departs July 2 to run ACWA; and golden muss...

The State Water Board's denial of the remaining Tule Subbasin exclusion requests is opening into a deeper audit — state officials are now questioning local agencies' 34-year rolling precipitation averages, native sustainable yield calculations, and recharge-credit treatment, which could force structural changes to Basin Safe accounting in coming years. Porterville staff also reported the state is...

Four Valley GSAs are in early talks on a Kaweah-Tule groundwater banking concept with Southern California water partners — potentially bringing significant new wet-and-average-year supply into the southern San Joaquin. DWR also outlined nearly $400 million in Proposition 4 groundwater funding with no bond cost share required (draft guidelines fall 2026; applications early 2027). And the Turlock ba...

The State Water Resources Control Board voted 5-0 to deny all eight Tule Sub-basin GSA exclusion requests, citing water-budget gaps over 50 percent of total diversions, subsidence risks, and weak well-mitigation programs. In response, eleven of thirteen GSAs committed to developing a single unified GSP. DWR's April 1 snow survey came in at the second-lowest on record (only 2015 was lower), and the...

California's April 1 snowpack came in at just 18% of statewide average — the second-lowest reading on record — and the effects are already reshaping the 2026 irrigation season across the Valley. Metropolitan Water District staff called the Colorado River outlook "dire" as Lake Powell is forecast to hit its 3,500 ft emergency trigger earlier than expected. Plus: Arvin-Edison's first-of-its-kind gol...

March 2026 shattered California temperature and drought records, wiping out snowpack and forcing districts to cut water runs short. Delta-Mendota exits state probation while Tule faces $12M in fees. And Salinas Valley modeling shows that even eliminating all ag pumping won't stop seawater intrusion by 2040. Read the full recaps at waterone.ai | Try Chat GSA for instant answers about your district...

Lake Powell is projected to fall within ten feet of minimum power pool as Colorado River inflow drops to 52% of average. Groundwater fees are accelerating across California — from Paso Robles' new volumetric fee to Yolo's tiered structure to Fox Canyon's warning that assessments could rise "by a multiple." Plus: Amazon is paying to double recycled water storage in South Santa Clara County, golden...

The State Water Board just recommended denying every exclusion request in the Tule and Tulare Lake subbasins — and the legal pushback is already starting. Plus, the CVP opens at just 15% with snowpack well below normal, and a half-billion-dollar federal funding package lands for California's most critical water infrastructure. Read the full recaps at waterone.ai | Try Chat GSA for instant answers...

This week: Delta-Mendota may escape State Water Board oversight — but a massive pumping data gap remains. State Water Contractors warn that 8-9 more inches of Friant-Kern Canal subsidence could eliminate 85% of delivery capacity. Semitropic adopts $500/AF penalties for budget exceedances. DWR scrutinizes Salinas Valley's deep aquifer plan. Golden mussels spread to MWD infrastructure. Santa Clara V...

The Colorado River may be headed for its worst hydrology year on record, with inflows down nearly three million acre-feet since November. Meanwhile, $1.5 billion in federal funding for Central Valley Project infrastructure is described as imminent, and Mid-Kaweah GSA moves toward zeroing out allocations for growers who don't register their wells. Produced by WaterOne.ai — AI-powered coverage of ev...

North Kings GSA locks in a 445,600 acre-foot groundwater allocation bucket, CCWA warns that subsidence could cut Santa Barbara's water delivery, and the Salinas Valley faces a potential state intervention timeline. Plus — DWR's five-year evaluations shift from paper to performance, invasive mussels threaten infrastructure statewide, and well registration proves harder than anyone expected. Produce...

Irrigation season kicks off in Turlock with a fourth consecutive year at full allocation, while Westlands braces for a tight CVP supply. New subsidence rules are adding cost and complexity for Tulare Lake GSAs, Colorado River negotiations remain stalled, and Paso Robles becomes the latest GSA to pivot to Prop 26 fees. Produced by WaterOne.ai — AI-powered coverage of every SGMA board meeting in Cal...

This week: Golden mussels are spreading across the Central Valley with treatment costs hitting millions. The Colorado River is tracking toward its driest year on record. Sacramento's groundwater bank account looks healthy but the long-term forecast is sobering. Plus — Modesto demands equitable cost-sharing, Yolo votes for Prop 26 fees, and the DWR review process takes a friendlier tone. In the tre...