Members of the public have just a few more days to let the state know whether they think groundwater management in Kings County should be taken over by the State Water Resources Control Board.
A draft report by Water Board staff is recommending the Tulare Lake subbasin, which covers Kings County, be put on probation under the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act.
That could have serious consequences, such as imposing strict pumping allotments, fees and fines on area farmers.
Interested persons have until noon on Monday, Dec. 11, to share their thoughts on the issue. Comments will be incorporated into a final draft report presented at a hearing April 16, 2024
“No decision has been made yet about whether Tulare Lake will be designated as a probationary basin; the comment period on the staff report and the later public hearing are key opportunities for people to make their voices heard,” Eric Oppenheimer, chief deputy director for the State Water Board, is quoted in an Oct. 12 press release.
Tulare Lake is the first of six San Joaquin Valley subbasins facing possible state intervention under SGMA. At public workshops held in November, Water Board staff and some of the five-member board heard oral comments from water managers, farmers and community action groups, though feedback initially was scarce.
Tulare Lake’s groundwater sustainability agencies (GSAs) were twice cited by the Department of Water Resources for deficiencies in its groundwater sustainability plan including continued land sinking, known as subsidence, and anticipated impacts to domestic well levels and drinking water quality.
The inadequate determination booted Tulare Lake to the Water Board, the enforcement arm of SGMA.
Water Board staff concurred with DWR’s determinations and has recommended the subbasin be placed on probation.
The board will consider the report and the public’s input before making a determination at a hearing on April 16, 2024. If it rules in favor of probation, most groundwater pumpers would be required to report their groundwater usage and pay state fees 90 days following the onset of probation.
In the meantime, the five GSAs overseeing the Tulare Lake subbasin would have at least a year to achieve a viable sustainability plan, at which point the board could terminate probation.
As the guinea pig of sorts, all eyes are on Tulare Lake, with GSA managers and technical consultants watching the process carefully.
Other subbasins facing possible state intervention in 2024 include Tule and Kaweah, which cover the valley portion of Tulare County; the entire valley portion of Kern County; Delta-Mendota which stretches up the western side of the valley and includes portions of Madera, Fresno, Merced and Stanislaus counties; and Chowchilla in the northwestern corner of Madera County.
The Water Board hearing on the Tulare Lake subbasin will be held on April 16, 2024, at 9:30 a.m. in the California Environmental Protection Agency Headquarters Building in downtown Sacramento. The public may attend in person or online.
Lisa McEwen, SJV Water 
