The Modesto Irrigation District (MID) Board of Directors recently took the first steps in moving forward a Long-Term Groundwater Replenishment Program (GRP).

The GRP is a voluntary, 20-year program open to all water users in the Modesto Subbasin. In wet years where MID irrigators and the City of Modesto have received full uncapped allocations, MID will make surface water available to applicants. This program is part of a series of groundwater management actions spurred by the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act. These actions are aimed at reducing reliance on pumping, promoting groundwater storage programs, improving both the availability and quality of water to disadvantaged communities, providing flood control, and protecting groundwater for generations.

In a unanimous vote, MID’s Board set the GRP’s in-lieu water price at $200 per acre-foot and the conjunctive use price at $125 per acre-foot. By a majority vote, the Board also approved the Long-Term GRP Application and Agreement that sets forth the program’s terms and conditions.

The final version of the GRP Application and Agreement is available on MID’s website – mid.org – and MID is currently taking applications, with commencement and implementation of the GRP to follow completion of pending environmental review. Applications will be accepted on a first come, first serve basis for the first 50 percent of water available.

The Modesto Irrigation District, established in 1887, is a vertically integrated public utility and provides irrigation water to more than 2,300 agricultural accounts irrigating close to 60,000 acres and electricity to more than 131,000 residential, commercial and agricultural accounts in Modesto, Empire, Salida, Waterford and Mountain House as well as parts of Escalon, Oakdale, Ripon and Riverbank.