Push to register wells in northern Tulare County heats up

Landowners in Mid-Kaweah Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA) who need help registering their wells can take advantage of four “office hours” events in the coming week.

The office hours will be at the GSA’s headquarters at 6826 Avenue 240 in Tulare:

June 19, 8 a.m. to noon
June 22, noon to 5 p.m.
June 23, 8 a.m. to noon
June 24, noon to 5 p.m.

Owners of agricultural, domestic, industrial and retired/abandoned wells face a registration deadline of Oct. 31. After that date, landowners will lose access to Tier 1 and Tier 2 water allocations, overdraft water that is charged at a penalty rate.

Mid-Kaweah’s board of directors passed the mandatory policy in May so the GSA’s managers and technical consultants can get a better understanding of aquifer use, which will help determine future allocations and minimize subsidence impacts.

So far, Mid-Kaweah has registered 285 wells out of an estimated 1,700, said Diana Zegarra, project manager.

“Well registration is a foundational piece of understanding the groundwater system,” Zegarra wrote in an email. “We know about how much is being extracted from the groundwater system but we don’t know where. This would be the data to see what aquifers we are pulling from within the subbasin.”

The entire Kaweah subbasin is in the process of registering wells. There are two other GSAs in the subbasin, Greater and East Kaweah GSAs. Well owners in Greater Kaweah GSA must register by July 1. East Kaweah has opted for voluntary well registration.

If landowners have wells in Greater or East Kaweah GSAs, Mid-Kaweah staff can help register those, too, as the registration platform is shared across the subbasin. GSA staff are implementing policies per their state-approved groundwater plans.

Landowners should come to the office hour meetings with: