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Madera County / SGMA field guide

Which Madera allocation are you budgeting against?

The County GSA and the irrigation-district GSAs are not interchangeable. If your almond or pistachio acreage is in a County GSA white area, check both the subbasin and the eligible irrigated acreage.

Public sources checked . Confirm later changes with your GSA.

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County white areas: an applied-water budget, not gross pumping

County GSA allocations apply to its white areas, not to land governed by a different GSA. Eligibility is tied to acreage irrigated as of June 8, 2021. The accounting basis is evapotranspiration of applied water, or ETAW.

The 2026 chart gives 25.2 inches per eligible acre in the Madera Subbasin: 12.3 inches sustainable yield plus 12.9 transition. County GSA totals differ in Chowchilla at 23.9 inches and Delta-Mendota at 32.5 inches. Do not move an allocation between those areas.

The penalty escalates by calendar year, not by overage tier

“A civil penalty not to exceed $100 per acre-foot in calendar year 2023”

Resolution 2022-145 raises the ceiling by $100 per acre-foot each calendar year, to a maximum of $500. That makes the 2026 ceiling $400 per acre-foot of unauthorized overage, and the 2027 ceiling $500. These are discretionary maxima, not automatic invoices.

Keep the base-fee question separate

The County publishes separate GSA fee and mitigation documents. We could not confirm the current amount actually levied on an eligible acre from the adopted schedule and subsequent actions. No base-fee figure is included here or silently treated as zero.

A 500-acre Madera Subbasin illustration

If all 500 acres meet County GSA eligibility, 25.2 inches ÷ 12 inches per foot = 2.1 acre-feet per acre. That is 1,050 acre-feet of 2026 ETAW allocation across the orchard.

Compare that budget with GSA-accounted ETAW, not a guessed orchard demand or raw well total. Each acre-foot of unauthorized overage carries a scheduled ceiling of $400 for 2026. The estimator reports that ceiling separately from unknown fees.

Free SGMA estimator

Use your GSA account, not a county average.

ESTIMATE ONLY. Verify with your GSA. This is not a bill, a compliance determination or an irrigation recommendation.

Example selection. Confirm your parcel’s GSA.

January 1 to December 31, 2026. Use eligible irrigated acres and GSA-accounted evapotranspiration of applied water (ETAW). Do not enter gross pumping as ETAW.

Enter your eligible acres in place of the 500-acre example.

Use the same accounting basis as your GSA.

For this period and these acres. No assumed use.

Enter your acreage, GSA-approved budget and accounted use, then confirm the GSA and period. Blank does not mean zero.

Rate source, checked 2026-09-07: https://www.maderacountywater.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/RES-NO.-2022-145.pdf

AF means acre-feet. Inputs stay in this page and are not submitted to a server. The estimator reuses the allocation and tier arithmetic behind our SGMA calculator.

Madera County subbasins and GSA contacts

County lines are not GSA boundaries. These are public agency and shared agency websites, not a determination of parcel coverage. Basin partners may extend into neighboring counties. Open the official directory or map before choosing a rate. Checked 2026-09-07.

Madera Subbasin

Official Madera Subbasin source

Chowchilla Subbasin

Includes the adjoining Merced County GSA as a basin partner.

Official Chowchilla Subbasin source

Delta-Mendota Subbasin, Madera County areas

The shared subbasin directory also lists partners outside Madera County.

Official Delta-Mendota Subbasin, Madera County areas source

Madera County questions

Does the County of Madera allocation apply inside Madera Irrigation District?

No. The County allocation rules are for County GSA white areas. District GSA parcels need their own agency's rules and allocation.

Why is my Chowchilla allocation different from the Madera Subbasin figure?

The County publishes separate subbasin allocations. Use the row matching your County GSA area and eligible acreage, not the county name alone.

Is the Madera County overage estimate an automatic bill?

No. The resolution sets a civil-penalty ceiling and provides for individual circumstances and enforcement procedures. The estimate is the scheduled maximum, not a finding of liability.

Bring the allocation statement. We'll work through the math.

A short conversation about your accounting basis, missing evidence and questions for the GSA. No assumed water savings.

Book a 15-min call