Groundwater Authority approves amendment to SGMA IP grant as pipeline design reaches 60%

The Indian Wells Groundwater Authority on Monday approved an amendment to its Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) implementation grant to update final deliverables and reallocate planning funds toward grant administration as the imported‑water pipeline design moves toward completion.

Stetson Engineering project lead Bianca told the board the Department of Water Resources (DWR) has tentatively approved revised deliverables that reflect work already completed, including 60% design plans, technical environmental studies and draft right‑of‑way acquisition plans. "In preparation for the complete date of the IP grant, staff and DWR have determined the need to amend the agreement to go ahead and close out," Bianca said.

Why it matters: the amendment is intended to align the grant terms to the work already delivered and to ensure funds are available to finish required grant reporting and invoices before the grant close date. Board members were told the 60% design level is complete and that, as of the last invoice submitted in November 2025, about $400,000 remains available to invoice under the IP grant through the current end date.

Stetson and authority staff also described a near‑term transition in project management as the program moves from detailed design to later phases. Jeff Halsley of Stetson said the Department of Water Resources suggested the changes "so as we're getting to the close of the grant, they wanted to make sure it matched up with what we had used their funds for and what we were delivering." He added that the change was at DWR's suggestion.

Board members asked whether the authority could face repayment demands if it did not meet original terms; staff said that because the deliverables already were submitted and DWR can count those as satisfying grant terms, repayment is not expected. "With this update of the deliverables, and the fact that we have already provided these deliverables that are due before the due date, DWR can constitute us completing our grant terms," staff said.

The board approved the amendment. The motion passed with the majority of members voting in favor; one director recorded a dissenting vote on the final roll call.

Next steps: Stetson and authority staff will finalize the executed amendment with corrected page headers and continue work to complete remaining deliverables and invoice DWR. Staff also said they will coordinate transition tasks with the consultant taking on project management for the next phases.

The authority did not take additional action beyond approving the amendment at the meeting.