By Don A. Wright
The Triangle T Water District held its board of directors meeting on Thursday, March 12, 2026 by Zoom, the better choice for online meetings. In the time between the Zoom screen appearing and the actual start of the meeting there were strange noises that I’m pretty sure weren’t auditory hallucinations. It sounded like a Saturday Night Live skit featuring Beavis and Butt Head. Oh, it was me (or it might have been Co-General Managers Sarah Woolf and Chase Hurley.*)
The GSA Meeting
Chairman Lucas Avila called things to order for the Triangle T Groundwater Sustainability Agency at 2:08pm. There were no public comments, roll call yielded a forum and things were rolling. Also, the minutes were approved.
The first item was engineer John Davids from Davids Engineering present the Chowchilla Subbasin Groundwater Demand Management & Subsidence Mitigation report. Davids said he received word from the Subbasin coordination committee to take it to the home boards. Bernadette Boyle of Luhdorff & Scalmanini Engineers spoke also.
Demand Management
Davids started with a background talk on subsidence. He said subsidence is expected to be the most limiting consideration blocking sustainability. The Chowchilla Subbasin was on the edge between the Department of Water Resources and the tender mercies of the State Water Resources Control Board due to an incomplete determination on its Sustainable Groundwater Plan.
Davids said there were many meetings to sort this out. The State Board wanted more backstops to halt overdraft and subsidence. The GSAs must consider financial mitigation for subsidence impacts and a Memo Of Understanding is being discussed between the GSAs in the Subbasin. There is an April 1st deadline to getting a satisfactory MOU. In addition to many other components public outreach and engagement are concerns to be addressed. Davids said focusing on critical infrastructure was key.
The GDM voluntary measures include developing recharge basins and bring in more water. On the mandatory measures side, included are a groundwater extraction fee, a demand management program and subsidence control measures. Limiting pumping from the lower aquifer is included in this. To do this will require better data gathering to show where the subsidence risk is elevated and know the geographic extent. Stronger monitoring is needed.
The Chowchilla Subbasin covers parts of Madera and Merced County. This adds a twist to coordinate with both counties. Someone asked if the other subbasin members are limiting lower aquifer pumping and the answer is yes; they are looking at it. Woolf said they are looking at focused areas as opposed to GSA wide limits. Davids said focusing on the areas of concern – there isn’t much subsidence on the eastern side of the subbasin.
Boyle showed a chart with red, yellow and green measurements of feet of subsidence. A subsidence trigger in the red zone will create a mandatory action. Yellow will trigger voluntary reactions and green is all is well and no action is required. I almost forgot, there’s a small orange zone, you know, like when you get pulled over for running a stop light you tell the cop it was orange at best. A red trigger requires immediate response and an orange trigger requires preparation of response.
These actions are all triggered by different monitoring results. There are 10 monitoring stations in the subbasin and Boyle put up a chart showing how many violations must occur to trigger a different colored response on an annual cycle. As an example Boyle put up a map on the screen to show the extent of the areas impacted by voluntary and required responses to subsidence. This will include informing the neighboring subbasins if the exceedance extends into it.
I asked if the neighboring subbasins will show reciprocity and give the Chowchilla Subbasin a heads up if subsidence is heading its way. Davids said there is a good deal of cooperation with all of the adjoining subbasins and planned meetings to keep everyone apprised as situations develop.
Davids said this report was started in September 2025 and he thanked everyone involved for helping get things this far along. Also, DWR is still reviewing the updated GSP. The annual report to DWR is due at the end of this month. The Chowchilla Subbasin was facing probation by the State Board and these upgrades are what got the Subbasin back into DWR oversight. He said there are different approaches for each of the GSAs in the Subbasin. He said that is good as it gives the needed local control.
The next steps are to release a draft of the annual report, continue to monitor conditions, keep stakeholders informed and only face implementation as warranted.
After a question Davids said monitoring of some basin markers will no longer be covered by the US Bureau of Reclamation. He wrote a letter to DWR telling them about this. DWR responded they are here to help and have some money that would possibly be available. He’s meeting with the DWR folks who wrote the best management practice in the first place. This gives him hope. Woolf added this will help TTWD in dealing with the Exchange Contractors. Good deal.
The board adopted Resolution 01-2026 Groundwater Demand Management Program and Subsidence Mitigation Measures.
Other Business
Hurley said the pumping data from 2025 has been turned in and is being included in the district wide data and is about to be completed. He said data is being collected monthly throughout the entire GSA which makes the annexed lands equal part of the entire district. He also said the State Board should officially turn the Chowchilla Subbasin back to DWR next month. This won’t be a big meeting most likely and just a routine motion of the State Board.
Comments From the Board
Avila asked to move the meeting to an earlier time as he’s coaching little league this summer. In other words there are conflicts and the early start is preferable. That ended the GSA meeting.
The TTWD Meeting
The regular meeting began at 3:05pm and there were no public comments, the minutes were approved and the treasurers report was given by Hurley. Everything was two thumbs up and approved.
O&M
Hurley said there were 11,000 acre feet of imported water budgeted and they came within 30 a/f if I understood correctly. Good for them. There’s 10 to 15 cubic feet per second coming from Columbia Canal Company he believes could continue through June.
The next item went pretty fast but I think San Luis Canal Company and the East Side Canal Company have signed on to a one year pilot program to bring in water. Hurley said he was pleased to sit with Avila as he negotiated with ESCC and the cooperation shown. I think this is going to be a 5,000 a/f deal. And finally under O&M TTWD is working on a deal with the Poso Siphon.
Well, that was that for this month. Go be good to each other and yourselves.
DISCLAIMER OF RESPONSIBILITY; Waterwrights strives to provide his clients with the most complete, up-to-date, and accurate information available. Nevertheless, Waterwrights does not serve as a guarantor of the accuracy or completeness of the information provided, and specifically disclaims any and all responsibility for information that is not accurate, up-to-date, or complete. Waterwrights’ clients therefore rely on the accuracy, completeness and timeliness of information from DAW entirely at their own risk. The opinions expressed in this report are those of the author and do not represent any advertisers or third parties.
*Very important – I’m not comparing Woolf and Hurley to Beavis and Butt Head, I was watching YouTube with my mic off as the meeting began.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Copyright 2026 by WaterWrights.net/DAW
Triangle T Water District – http://triangletwaterdistrict.org/
4400 Hays Drive, Chowchilla, CA 93610 There is no staff, email address or phone number listed on the website.
Board – Lucas Avila – President, Dirk Vlot – Vice President, Maryse Suppiger, Michael York & Jose Ochoa
Staff – Sarah Woolf & Chase Hurley management, Jeanne Zolezzi – Attorney
The Triangle T Water District GSA is in the Chowchilla Sub Basin DWR # 5-022.05
