Kings County groundwater agency approved $360,000 “ballpark” cost for drying wells

• Editor’s note: Monserrat Solis covers Kings County water issues for SJV Water through the California Local News Fellowship initiative. 

The Mid-Kings River Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA) will spend $360,000 to repair four dry wells in its boundary caused by excessive groundwater pumping.

The Mid-Kings board approved drilling three new domestic wells and connecting one home to the City of Hanford’s water system during its Feb. 17 board meeting. This is all part of its $2 million pilot program to help owners repair well damages.

“This is a very ballpark budget based on the understanding that we have of the wells, understanding of how much pipe we have to run,” engineering consultant Amer Hussain told the board. 

The funds will cover the cost of drilling, connecting the home, staff time and support from Visalia-based nonprofit Self-Help, Hussain said.

For now, the two entities that make up the GSA, Kings County and the City of Hanford, will foot the bill for the pilot program. The GSA will have to hold a Proposition 218 election, which is required for new or increased assessments, in order to raise its own money. 

Mid-Kings Director Robert Thayer shared his concern about landowners taking advantage of the program to fix their well.

“I guess I’m seeing a kind of welfare system amongst well owners,” Thayer said. He added that landowners could, hypothetically, neglect their well in order to receive help from the GSA.

An eligibility requirement of the pilot program is that each well is evaluated by GSA staff to determine if the impacts of the well were caused by over pumping, Hussain reminded the board. If a well isn’t functioning due to old age or an electrical issue, that is not the GSA’s responsibility.

“The state has taken almost the opposite view of your question,” Hussain said. “Their point to us was ‘You got to make this as easy as possible for people to get their well replaced.’”

Changes to pilot program

In order to quell concerns of landowners exploiting the pilot program, the board approved amending the program’s eligibility criteria and adding limits to the funding.

Changes include: 

• Adds subsidence and water quality issues as impacts of drying wells
• The applicant must have owned the property for one year
• The residence must be habitable
• Limits one well repair per property

The GSA will also limit what it spends on well installation to $40,000. That’s a $15,000 cut from the program’s original cost estimation.

And a  landowner receiving help from the pilot program will now need to pay back 100% of the costs of the new well if the property is sold within a year of installation and 50% if sold within two years. 

Board reorganization

Supervisor Rusty Robinson will now serve as Chair and Doug Verboon will serve as Vice Chair of the GSA with the start of a new year.

The GSA board will now seat five members instead of six.

The board approved amending its Joint Powers Authority (JPA) to remove the county’s fifth seat, which was occupied by Supervisor Joe Neves who stepped down in January due to conflicts with his position on the neighboring South Fork Kings GSA board. 

A second amendment to the JPA directs the county to pay 89% of the GSA’s bills, until the GSA is financially sustainable. The city will pay 11% of the costs.

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