The SGMA Weekly
News & Politics
About
Your weekly intelligence briefing on California groundwater. We attend 100+ board meetings so you don't have to. Every week, we break down the must-know decisions, trends of the valley, fee changes, water supply updates, and policy shifts from GSAs and water districts across the Central Valley and beyond. Produced by WaterOne.ai .
Episodes
- Tule Allocation Math Under Audit, GEARS Bug, Prop 4 Push — May 11, 2026
The State Water Board is auditing Tule Subbasin allocation math, impacting local agencies. A GEARS platform bug affected extraction totals, and Kings and Kaweah growers face a compressed irrigation season. Prop 4 funding is also influencin…
- Kaweah-Tule Banking, $386M Prop 4 Funding, and Turlock's Hockey Stick — May 4, 2026
The SGMA Weekly reports on discussions about Kaweah-Tule groundwater banking with Southern California water partners and $386 million in Proposition 4 groundwater funding. The Turlock basin's groundwater recovery is ahead of schedule, and…
- Tule Denials, Spring Fee Hearings, and $500K More to the Mussel Fight — Apr 27, 2026
The State Water Resources Control Board denied Tule Sub-basin GSA exclusion requests due to water-budget gaps and subsidence risks. Eleven GSAs will develop a unified GSP. Low snowpack forecasts impact runoff, and spring fee hearings are s…
- Second-Lowest Snowpack, Powell in Crisis, and a Mussel Breakthrough — Apr 20, 2026
The episode covers California's critically low snowpack (18% of average), affecting the 2026 irrigation season and creating a dire outlook for Lake Powell. It also details a successful golden mussel treatment and the Water Blueprint's proj…
- Record-Breaking March, Delta-Mendota's Big Win, and Seawater Intrusion Reality — Apr 13, 2026
The April 13, 2026 SGMA Weekly discusses record-breaking March 2026 temperatures and drought conditions in California, which led to reduced water runs. It also covers Delta-Mendota exiting state probation, Tule facing significant fees, and…
- Lake Powell Nearing Power Pool, New Fees Statewide, and Amazon's Water Deal — Mar 30, 2026
Lake Powell is nearing minimum power pool due to low Colorado River inflow. California is seeing increased groundwater fees, and Amazon is expanding recycled water storage. Annual reports show a varied picture of basin recovery.
- Exclusion Denials, Early Snowmelt, and Half a Billion in Infrastructure Funding — Mar 24, 2026
The State Water Board has recommended denying all exclusion requests in the Tule and Tulare Lake subbasins, prompting legal challenges. Additionally, the Central Valley Project (CVP) has opened at only 15% capacity due to below-normal snow…
- Delta-Mendota Review, Friant-Kern Subsidence, and Semitropic Penalties — Mar 16, 2026
The SGMA Weekly covers potential State Water Board oversight for Delta-Mendota, significant Friant-Kern Canal subsidence risks, Semitropic penalties, and other water management issues including infrastructure, capital plans, and extraction…
- Historic Lows on the Colorado, Federal Billions for CVP, and Well Registration Crackdowns — Mar 9, 2026
The Colorado River may experience its driest year on record due to significantly reduced inflows. Additionally, $1.5 billion in federal funds is expected for Central Valley Project infrastructure, while Mid-Kaweah GSA is enforcing well reg…
- Allocation Frameworks, Mussel Invasions, and DWR's Five-Year Reviews — Mar 2, 2026
This episode covers groundwater allocation frameworks, including North Kings GSA's plan and CCWA's subsidence warning for Santa Barbara. It also discusses invasive mussels, challenges with well registration, and DWR's five-year review proc…
- Irrigation Season, Stalled Negotiations, and New Subsidence Rules — Feb 23, 2026
The SGMA Weekly reports on the start of irrigation season with full allocation in Turlock and a tight CVP supply for Westlands. New subsidence rules are increasing costs for Tulare Lake GSAs, Colorado River negotiations are stalled, and Pa…
- Golden Mussels, a $500K Hack, and the Colorado River Crisis — Feb 16, 2026
This episode of The SGMA Weekly covers the spread of Golden Mussels in the Central Valley, the critical state of the Colorado River, and the health of Sacramento's groundwater. It also touches on equitable cost-sharing, well registration,…