Fox Canyon Groundwater Management Agency Board of Directors Hybrid Regular Meeting - April 22, 2026

The Fox Canyon Groundwater Management Agency Board of Directors held a hybrid regular meeting on April 22, 2026, focusing on several key procurement and fiscal management topics. The board adopted a new fiscal reserve policy designed to establish clear categories and rules for reserve funds, including working capital and rate stabilization reserves, to ensure financial discipline and transparency. They also approved a resolution to increase tiered groundwater extraction search charge rates effective January 1, 2026, aligning them with the cost of imported water from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California to discourage over-extraction. Additionally, the board discussed basin assessment adjustments for water right holders subject to United Water Conservation District assessments, directing staff to work with advisory committees to develop equitable funding recommendations. The meeting included presentations on regional groundwater projects, such as a regional groundwater desalting feasibility study in collaboration with Kayagas, and a draft basin optimization yield study to support sustainable groundwater management by 2040. The board also conducted a continued hearing on the Green Hills Ranch well drilling permit application, ultimately approving the permit with conditions to monitor and mitigate potential impacts, while acknowledging the need for future procedural clarity on burden of proof issues related to material injury claims under the basin adjudication judgment.