WaterWrights.net is now sharing Updates in partnership with our friends at WaterOne.ai. We all know SGMA is evolving rapidly. And this is another step for us to keep everyone informed.
Now the Tule GSAs Themselves Describe the Zero-Pumping Zone — One to Three Miles, Still Undetermined
Following our coverage of the State Water Board’s pending Tule Subbasin interim plan, two of the sub-basin’s own GSAs described the state’s proposal from the inside this week. Tri County Water Authority reported that State Water Board staff signaled they could impose a
complete moratorium on groundwater extraction in a two-mile swath on both sides of the Friant-Kern Canal unless Tule Sub-basin GSAs produce an equivalent urgency plan of their own.
Porterville Irrigation District GSA staff said the state’s opening position at a July 16 meeting was a full moratorium — defined as zero pumping — within a zone whose width is still undetermined, with discussion ranging from one to three miles, and that state staff stepped back after a caucus and would consider a GSA alternative that credibly addresses subsidence; a draft interim plan is expected in January 2027, with board adoption targeted for April 2027. Read More
The Tehama Fee Ruling Reaches the Sacramento Valley — Colusa and Glenn May Have to Recalibrate
Following last week’s coverage of *Garst v. Tehama County Flood Control and Water Conservation District*, the Third District Court of Appeal decision that struck down a countywide groundwater charge as an unconstitutional tax, the ruling is now landing on GSA boards. In board member reports at Glenn-Colusa Irrigation District, a director — himself an attorney — said the decision means the Colusa Groundwater Authority’s and Glenn Groundwater Authority’s practice of spreading administrative costs across all acreage cannot stand and that both will have to recalibrate, a point he said he had argued for five years and on which he agreed with the opinion. Read More
Pleasant Valley’s $50 Per Acre-Foot Pumping Fee Clears Its Protest Hearing — 28 Protests Out of 333
Pleasant Valley GSA approved Resolution 05-2026 establishing a groundwater extraction fee of $50 per acre-foot, effective for the fiscal year that began July 1, 2026, after a majority-protest hearing that drew only 28 protests out of 333 possible votes — far short of the majority needed to block it. The fee is charged only on groundwater actually extracted, though all parcels were noticed and eligible to protest, and staff said it is intended to bring the GSA current on its obligations and fund projected expenses.
The board separately adopted an updated penalty policy: growers who over-extract get a notice and a 12-month window to cure the overage before penalties of up to $500 per acre-foot can be assessed, with a broader provision covering violations of any formally adopted GSA policy — metering requirements included — which counsel said is taken straight from the statute: up to $1,000, plus $100 for each additional day if the violation is not corrected within 30 days of notice. Staff acknowledged that if future costs — including potential adjudication expenses — exceed projections, a similar notice-and-protest process could be needed to raise the fee again. Read More
Why a $525 Acre-Foot of Transfer Water Arrives Costing Closer to $1,000
San Benito County Water District approved Resolution 2026-19 authorizing a Warren Act contract and a Power Letter of Agreement with the Bureau of Reclamation, allowing non-CVP Yuba County water to be stored and conveyed through federal facilities. Staff walked the board through what that water actually costs by the time it reaches a field: a 5% conveyance loss, roughly $30 per acre-foot in facility fees, roughly $35 per acre-foot in
power reimbursement, 35% Delta carriage losses and a possible 2% state facility loss — leaving only about 60% of the water actually purchased. With the transfer’s price schedule topping out at $525 per acre-foot in the second year of critically dry conditions, the delivered cost lands near $1,000 per acre-foot. The district is not taking Yuba water this year; it is putting the contracts in place now so the option exists in a future critical shortage. Read More
Trends in the Valley
2027 Budgets Are Turning Into Rate Conversations.
Southwest Kings GSA adopted a 2027 budget carrying roughly $387,000 in projected expenses, then voted to raise its groundwater assessment from $1.50 to $2.00 per acre for 2027 — with the board noting it has $515,000 in cash on hand and that consulting bills for the updated sub-basin sustainability plan are about to start arriving. Kings County Water District worked through its draft 2027 budget item by item, with one director saying flatly, “I think we’re in the era where we got to increase the rates,” citing big equipment needs and coming regulation.
Oakdale Irrigation District voted 4-0 to send out a Prop 218 notice for Improvement District 48, where the rate has been flat at $20 per acre for 16 years, with a public hearing set for October 6.
Everyone Is Getting in Position for the Prop 4 Window — and It May Open Only Once
Tri County Water Authority heard that draft guidelines for the full Proposition 4 SGMA solicitation should land around October, with applications due in early summer 2027 and only one round of funding anticipated — and that basins, not individual GSAs, will be the applicants.
Northern Delta-Mendota Region Management Committee heard EKI outline three upcoming programs — the Department of Conservation’s Multi-Benefit Land Repurposing Program, the Proposition 4 SGM pot (roughly $386 million under the bond, with guidelines still unpublished), and a Prop 4 Watershed Resilience track — and asked members and interested parties to submit project concepts by September 30.
Meanwhile, San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority heard that DWR released draft guidelines for its 2026 SGM Grant Program the day of the meeting — a separate, earlier package than the full Prop 4 solicitation Tri County is waiting on — with public comment workshops on September 1 and September 22.
Recharge Capacity Is the Thing Everyone Is Buying Right Now.
At Kings County Water District, a grower told the board he had sunk more than 8,000 acre-feet in six months through a single 30-inch gate on the Riverside Ditch behind his house — and the board directed staff to have its gate contractor evaluate the district’s existing gates and to pull the consultant’s file on prior Old River channel improvements.
The four Westside Subbasin Multi-Benefit Land Repurposing projects we covered in July — three of them groundwater recharge — now have a construction date: Westside GSA heard that groundbreaking is planned for September 2026, with completion hoped for by February 2027, the close of the grant period.
Porterville Irrigation District GSA is negotiating for a 142-acre property it intends to convert into a recharge basin to help curb subsidence along the Friant-Kern Canal, while Desert Water Agency reported approximately 112,000 acre-feet delivered to the Whitewater Subbasin and 3,300 acre-feet to Mission Creek year-to-date as of June 30.
About WaterOne:
WaterOne is a Fresno-based water management firm serving Central Valley growers, founded by a team from Stanford that combines agricultural expertise with AI engineering. The team offers easy-to-adapt water management tools designed for SGMA. The company
actively monitors GSA and irrigation district board meetings, maintaining a database of rule changes for each district while working directly with growers across the Central Valley. You can access their updates on major meetings at GSAs, Irrigation Districts, and State Board from their GSA Database from https://gsa.waterone.ai
About the Team:
Ryo Takanashi is Co-Founder & Chief Product Officer at WaterOne. He brings
extensive expertise in commodity trading and agricultural engineering. As the youngest Chief Corn Trader for Japan’s largest commercial importer, Ryo managed 20% of the country’s corn imports while stationed in Kansas and Minneapolis. With an Urban Engineering background, he combines technical infrastructure knowledge with hands-on commodity market experience that required constant analysis of crop conditions, yield forecasts, and supply chain logistics. He holds MS-MBA from Stanford.
Tomo Kumahira is Co-Founder & CEO of WaterOne. Prior to starting WaterOne, Tomo managed one of Africa’s largest agro-forestry operations as CFO, partnering with
small-scale 30,000 farmers and covering 40% of commercial afforestation in Kenya. He began his career in natural resources investment at Mitsubishi Corporation. Tomo holds
MS-MBA from Stanford (Knight-Hennessy Scholar and Rotary Global Scholar).
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