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Madera County GSA adopts 2026–2040 pumping allocations for three subbasins
Summary
The Madera County Groundwater Sustainability Agency adopted allocations that set per‑acre annual pumping limits and a ramp‑down schedule from 2026 through 2040 for the Madera, Chowchilla and Delta Mendota subbasins.
The Madera County Groundwater Sustainability Agency on Tuesday adopted a resolution establishing groundwater allocations for 2026 through 2040 for the Madera, Chowchilla and Delta Mendota subbasins.
The board adopted per‑acre allocations and a ramp‑down schedule that, as presented by agency staff, move the subbasins toward sustainability without relying on new projects. Agency staff said the schedule begins with a 2 percent annual reduction for 2020–2025 (a cumulative 10 percent by 2025) and moves to an annual 6 percent reduction starting in 2026 and continuing through 2040.
The allocations adopted by the board set the County GSA’s per‑acre annual amounts at about 27 inches in the Madera Subbasin, about 25 inches in the Chowchilla Subbasin and roughly 19 inches in the Delta Mendota Subbasin. Stephanie (last name not specified), speaking for the GSA staff, told the board that revisions to acreage estimates changed the reallocated sustainable yield in the Madera Subbasin: enrolled acres increased from an earlier estimate of 85,000 to 88,000 acres, which reduced the per‑acre reallocated yield from 6.7 inches to 6.3 inches.
“At this point the allocations and the ramp‑down schedule get us to sustainability without relying on projects,” Stephanie said. She said the GSA’s total demand‑reduction amount for planning purposes is about 113,000 acre‑inches (presented as the full demand reduction amount) and that the schedule is intended to provide certainty for growers and water planners.
Board members asked about whether the resolution changed the volume of groundwater available in the subbasins. Stephanie said the adopted GSPs did not set a single volumetric cap for extraction across all agencies, and that the allocation establishes a starting point for reductions rather than a new agreed extraction volume for the entire basin. “There is no agreed‑upon volume in the GSP,” she said.
Members of neighboring groundwater agencies spoke in support. Joe Hopkins, who identified himself as Delta Mendota Subbasin committee chair, and Sarah Wolfe of the Triangle T Water District urged the board to adopt the resolution, saying it would help with coordination across adjacent subbasins.
The board approved the resolution on a roll call vote of 3–0 (two supervisors were absent). The GSA staff told the board it can revisit allocations annually in conjunction with the GSP annual report.
The resolution includes detailed tables of acreage and per‑acre allocations for each subbasin; staff said those tables reflect updated acre estimates and other technical adjustments.
The GSA item grew from multiple public meetings and technical work groups; staff recommended publishing the schedule now so growers and agencies can plan resource and investment decisions for the coming years.
