March bills rescheduled to later this year
Bills for groundwater use during Allocation Year 2022, expected to hit mailboxes in March, have been rescheduled to go out later this year.
In previous outreach and communications, the East Kaweah GSA projected an Allocation Year 2022 summary report would be mailed to landowners in mid-January, followed by the opportunity to reconcile a groundwater account, transfer groundwater credits, and/or challenge the evapotranspiration (ETa) readings on the summary report during the month of February. Following reconciliation, a final billing statement was projected to be sent at the end of March.
Water Dashboard team diligently refining accounting features for most accurate billing
East Kaweah GSA Board and staff know how important it is to make sure the billing process is done right. This involves a high level of coordination and cooperation among all 12 surface water delivery entities within the GSA, modernized and accurate water accounting, and landowner outreach and education. Each of these areas includes its own complex set of challenges. The East Kaweah GSA staff and board members continue to work diligently on this moving forward.
The Water Dashboard, developed in early 2022, is a tool for growers in the Kaweah Subbasin to view their historic evapotranspiration (ETa) by field and parcel. Current features on the Dashboard can help growers keep track of their water use, and in future development phases, manage water accounting. The Dashboard’s accounting feature, an important piece for bill calculation, was originally expected to be active early 2023 but is currently facing development delays.
Over the coming weeks, the East Kaweah GSA’s goals are to:
1. Ensure accurate groundwater use measurement after obtaining surface water delivery data.
2. Ensure a pathway of communication between landowners and East Kaweah GSA about groundwater use measurements with the ability to reconcile, transfer credits, and/or challenge ETa readings.
3. Keep landowners up to date on progress and the latest information regarding groundwater use report summaries and subsequent billing. Landowners can keep informed by signing up for our email newsletter.
Track water use in the meantime
The East Kaweah GSA encourages landowners to keep using the Water Dashboard as a tool for growers in the Kaweah Subbasin to view their historic evapotranspiration (ETa) by field and parcel until more features are developed. Landowners can set up a Water Dashboard account today at www.gsawd.com.
The agency is here to assist landowners as they navigate allocations and groundwater sustainability. If you have questions or concerns, call us at (559) 697-6095 or email groundwater@ekgsa.org.
A letter is being mailed to East Kaweah GSA landowners to reflect this information on the Allocation Year 2022 billing timeline.