State readies for next phase in Tulare County pumping crackdown

The next phase in the state’s crackdown on over pumping in Tulare County will be revealed July 16 in Visalia.

The meeting, which is not open to the public, will give water managers their first glimpse at the state’s plan for correcting severe overdraft in the Tule subbasin. 

It’s known as an “interim plan” and will definitely include pumping limits and a fee increase from $20 to $35 per acre foot pumped. The draft interim plan won’t be released until summer 2027 and would have to be approved by the Water Resources Control Board later that year before going into effect.

But the clock is ticking and the July 16 meeting is the first step to lay out the process and timeline.

Water managers got a heads up about the July 16 meeting last week.

“One question I did ask is, is this a foregone conclusion, or are you going to leave us with some hope at the end of this meeting that we can still avoid an interim plan? 
Because that’s going to make a big difference on how we all approach this thing,” Mike George said during the July 1 Tule East Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA) meeting. 

George is president of Tule East, a hotbed of subsidence, or land sinking, from excessive groundwater pumping in the Tule subbasin. Subsidence has been so significant, it sunk a 33-mile portion of the Friant-Kern Canal. A 10-mile section has since had to be rebuilt at a cost of $350 million.

“I’m sure an interim plan would include dictating what we can pump and what we can’t pump along the canal. That’s probably my biggest concern,” George said. 

Stemming subsidence is a main focus of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), which gives water managers until 2040 to bring aquifers into balance.

To do that, the Water Board has authority to place subbasins on probation for a year, then impose an interim plan if improvements aren’t made during the probationary period.

The Tule and neighboring Tulare Lake subbasins were both placed on probation in 2024.

If adopted, the Tule interim plan would be the first ever attempt by the state to actually impose pumping limits on landowners. 

“The goal of the state water board is to move all of the basin toward sustainability as quickly as legally and technically possible and the staff will continue to refine the schedule as new information and approaches are evaluated,” according to a Water Board spokesperson.

No attorneys or technical staff will be allowed to attend the July 16 meeting, scheduled for three hours. Any records from the meeting will be available upon request. 

“I think for transparency purposes, it would be better to have an open room dialogue,” said Michael Knight, manager of Porterville Irrigation District GSA. “…it would be great if the grower would be able to hear the state actually making these statements and providing these directions at the same time.” 

Though Knight also wondered about the interim plan’s format and logistics, one thing was abundantly clear: Growers should “be prepared for pumping reductions,” according to a statement by Water Board staff. 

Tule East general manager Rogelio Caudillo said he hopes managers will have time to talk about the progress they’ve made. 

“We want to pass along how difficult this has been, how expensive it’s been, and what we’ve each had to go through,” he said. “We need (a plan) that is both adequate and something that people can work with.”