By Joel Hastings
Supervisor Robert Macaulay called to order the Madera GSA committee meeting at 1:30 p.m. on July 14, 2026. Supervisor Leticia Gonzalez led the Pledge and there was no public comment in person or online. The minutes from the May 5 meeting were approved.
Subsidence Data
An informational item was presented first with a recommendation that six subbasins apply an existing cost-sharing agreement to split the cost for the collection of subsidence data. The Bureau of Reclamation had previously done this work as part of the San Joaquin River Restoration Project, but provided notification in early 2026 that it would discontinue this work, directly affecting the ability of Chowchilla Subbasin GSAs to comply with SGMA, which requires that land subsidence be monitored and reported.
The Chowchilla Subbasin GSA Advisory Committee heard a recommendation at its June 17 meeting that the firm of Provost & Pritchard generate replacement data for the July 2026 reading for the benefit of several subbasins. The work will cost $127,300 split among six subbasins under a current MOU among Delta-Mendota, Westside, Merced, Madera, Kings and Chowchilla. The Chowchilla Water District GSA will be the contract holder.
Tutka Phetasa, a senior analyst with the Department of Water & Natural Resources, made the presentation. There was no discussion and the proposal will be taken up at the Madera GSA’s board meeting next week.
An accounting procedure was acted on by the committee to move the sum of $2,044,703 from the GSA Administrative Fee contingency account to an appropriate line item in the within the county budget.
Overdraft Costs
Next up was an information item to recommend that the county supervisors, acting as the GSA board of directors, declare penalties and unpaid late fees due from property owners who have overdrafted as special assessments to be applied to their parcels by the county tax department. In 2024 penalties were $200 per a/f and in 2025 the penalties were $300 per a/f for using groundwater over the farm unit allocation.
In 2024 penalties billed in the Madera Subbasin totaled $427,620 and $4,800 remains outstanding on five parcels or APNs. In the Chowchilla Subbasin billing amounted to $274,420, with none outstanding.
In 2025, Madera Subbasin billings were $1,113,060.30 and nearly half, $463,251 are unpaid on 65 APNs, while In the Chowchilla Subbasin, the total billed was $649,710 and $242,650 remains unpaid on 15 APNs.
When the board of supervisors takes action to declare these as special assessments, the unpaid amounts become a lien on the affected properties (APNs) which would prevent a sale until paid or even at some point allow the county to sell the property to recover the unpaid assessments.
Staff member Emily Garcia made this presentation as she had the budget item and responded to questions from Supervisor Macaulay who inquired about the number of property owners involved with unpaid penalties.
Local grower Mark Peters in public comment said he believed that some growers have made the decision to continue to pump water and pay the penalties. The penalties become in effect a cost of doing business. He said he was nevertheless shocked that these penalties are not being paid. Department Director Stephanie Anagnoson explained the billing process and commented that it’s tough when the penalty is capped by law at $500 per a/f, which will be applied in 2027.
Offering comment online, Devin Aviles of a local grower farming cooperative asked how long it may take to collect the overdue payments. Anagnoson replied that they are regularly billed and if a lien is applied, it may take a number of years before a property can be sold.
After this discussion, the supervisors acted to recommend action to the full board.
Domestic Wells
Next up was an information item, an update on the domestic well mitigation program delivered by staffer Jerod Weeks. He said there had been 40 applications submitted directly and a total of 138 applicants from a list from Self Help Enterprises. From those numbers, 27 are currently processing their requests, 97 have been found eligible while 54 have been determined to be ineligible. He explained that of the ineligible applicants include many who do not reside within the GSA boundaries as well as some who only need a well pump to be lowered. He also gave an overview of a recent agreement with Self Help who will provide for some additional funds when a project exceeds the $35.000 cap in place for the GSA. He concluded by saying the county will conduct an analysis at the end of the year after the height of the season to assess the financial impact and forecast amounts that might be needed in the year ahead. He said it may be possible to suspend the fee imposed on GSA landowners if funds on hand are adequate.
With public comment invited, Michelle Lascoigty, local farmer, asked if the 138 applications through Self Help was the actual number, replacing the estimated 200 that had been suggested at earlier meetings. The answer was “yes.” She then wanted to confirm if the staff is recommending a pause on the collection of the GSP fee. The response was that the earlier estimate had been higher and that after a financial evaluation was completed in December, it might be possible to suspend collection of the fee, or perhaps adjust it in some fashion. Devin Aviles online commented that holding off special assessment in April would be appreciated by many growers.
Farm Unit Pumping
A final information item was a report from Director Anagnoson on the learnings from the creation and use of farm units to measure actual groundwater pumping compared with allocations, both over and under. She presented evaluations in three sample scenarios noting the challenges of applying penalties or credits to specific APN parcel numbers within what might be a farm unit with a range of cropping and land use patterns, especially when more than one owner might be involved in the farm unit.
Commenting online, Larkin Harman, a grower and irrigation district leader, spoke about sorting out credits and penalties among different owners of a farm unit. She suggested an exchange of credits or penalties among owners using simple written memos, rather than having to go through the more complicated process of farm unit reconfiguration. After a bit more discussion, Supervisor Macaulay asked if Director Anagnoson might have further conversation directly, and both agreed.
Wrapping up, Director Anagnoson gave her report saying a she and staff had participated in a focus group on recharge at Fresno State, along with conferences with the American Pistachio Growers, Sustainable Conservation and the state association of counties. With nothing further, the meeting was adjourned at 2:15 p.m.
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Madera County is comprised of three subbasins, designated by the CA Department of Water Resources as critically overdrafted, and “high priority”: (1) the Chowchilla Subbasin; (2) the Madera Subbasin; and (3) a portion of the Delta-Mendota Subbasin. Each of these subbasins submitted a Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP) by January 31, 2020. These subbasins are required to achieve “sustainability” by the year 2040. The method by which sustainability will be achieved will be illustrated in the GSP, which was be drafted in partnership by the irrigation district, water districts, cities and Madera County. The Madera County Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA) is administered by the Madera County Department of Water and Natural Resources: Stephanie Anagnoson, Director, 200 W. Fourth Street, Madera, CA 93637, (559) 675-7703 x. 2265 or (559) 675-6573. The County of Madera Board of Supervisors is the Board of Directors of the GSA for the three subbasins. The current board is composed of five members: Leticia Gonzalez, Robert Macaulay, Robert Poythress, David Rogers and Jordon Wamhoff..
The Madera Subbasin’s DWR # is 5-022.06
