GSA committee approves minutes, adopts Delta Mendota mitigation policy, transfers $100,700 to Chowchilla Water District and adopts farm-unit allocation policy

The Madera County Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA) committee approved the Sept. 2, 2025 meeting minutes and recommended three measures to the board of directors: adoption of a revised Delta Mendota Subbasin domestic well mitigation policy, a transfer of $100,700 to the Chowchilla Water District for allocation exceedance penalties collected in the Chowchilla Subbasin, and a resolution adopting a policy for allocation of carryover credits and penalties when farm units reorganize.

Why it matters: The committee’s recommendations formalize how the GSA and partner agencies will respond to domestic‑well impacts, move collected penalty funds to the local manager of domestic‑well mitigation, and clarify how carryover credits and penalties are apportioned when farm units change — all actions that affect growers’ compliance costs and how domestic well impacts get addressed.

Key outcomes and votes

- Approval of meeting minutes (GSA committee meeting 09/02/2025). Motion: move to approve (mover/second not specified in the transcript). Roll call recorded: Director McCauley — Yes; Director Gonzalez — Yes. Outcome: approved.

- Recommendation to adopt the revised Delta Mendota Subbasin domestic well mitigation policy (resolution). Presenter: Justine Tacobra, Water Resource Specialist. The revised policy includes shorter emergency supply response times, inclusion of tanked water via coordination with Valley Water Collaborative and Self-Help Enterprises, parameters for addressing water‑quality related domestic‑well impacts, and guidance for permanent fixes (including revised reverse‑osmosis systems). Committee vote: Director McCauley — Yes; Director Gonzalez — Yes. Outcome: recommended to board (vote recorded as 2–0).

- Transfer of Appropriations (TOA 25‑021) to authorize payment of $100,700 to Chowchilla Water District for allocation exceedance penalties collected in the Chowchilla Subbasin. Presenter: Emily Garcia, Senior Administrative Analyst. Background: County GSAs billed $274,420 in penalties for 2024 but collected $100,700 in direct payments; the remaining $173,720 will be collected on property tax bills over time. The TOA moves collected funds from the contingency appropriation into the refunds/reimbursements account for payment to Chowchilla Water District, which manages the Chowchilla Subbasin domestic‑well mitigation program. Committee vote: Director McCauley — Yes; Director Gonzalez — Yes. Outcome: recommended to board (vote recorded as 2–0).

- Resolution adopting a policy for allocation of carryover credits and penalties during farm‑unit reorganization. Presenter: Lehi Tapia, Water Resources Specialist. The policy formalizes a volumetric apportionment process to allocate carryover and penalties to parcels when a farm unit reorganizes, and allows parties to use a negotiated written agreement to change the apportionment instead of the default volumetric method. Committee vote: Director McCauley — Yes; Director Gonzalez — Yes. Outcome: recommended to board (vote recorded as 2–0).

Context and next steps: Committee members and staff said these items will move to the Board of Directors for final action; staff requested placement on the full board agenda (October 14) rather than a timed portion so directors with schedule conflicts can participate. Several public commenters spoke during the meeting and the committee heard requests to ensure adequate outreach to growers ahead of implementation, and to confirm legal and administrative details for collection on property tax bills.

Ending: The committee closed the business items and moved into informational presentations on demand management, domestic‑well mitigation program details, measurement costs, and related financial updates.