Kings County Farm Bureau event Wednesday to discuss state groundwater law
The Kings County Farm Bureau will hold its second informational meeting on the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) at 9 a.m., Wednesday, April 30, at St. John’s Hall, 8301 8 ½ Ave. near Hanford.
SGMA mandates overdrafted groundwater basins bring aquifers into balance by 2040 in order to protect drinking water wells and stop subsidence, land sinking, among other detrimental outcomes of over pumping.
The event will touch on the Farm Bureau’s current lawsuit against the state Water Resources Control Board and its impact on the community.
In 2024, the Farm Bureau sued the Water Board after the board placed the Tulare Lake subbasin, which covers most of Kings County, on probation for not submitting a complete groundwater sustainability plan (GSP).
The Farm Bureau claimed that the Water Board exceeded its jurisdiction by placing the region on probation.
Under probation, farmers would have to meter and register wells at an annual cost of $300 per well, report extractions to the state and pay an extra $20 per acre foot pumped.
Those sanctions were paused when a Kings County judge issued a preliminary injunction. The state then appealed the injunction and the case remained in the Fifth District Court of Appeal.
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