State’s groundwater reporting platform – complete with fees – is live
- Editor’s note: Monserrat Solis covers Kings County water issues for SJV Water through the California Local News Fellowship initiative.
Landowners and farmers in the Tule and Tulare Lake subbasins can now log onto the state’s groundwater reporting system ahead of the May 1 deadline.
The state Water Resources Control Board announced that its groundwater extraction annual reporting system, or GEARS, is open for pumpers to begin reporting how much they pump and paying fees.
Pumpers are required to meter their wells, pay $300 per well to register then with the state and pay $20 per acre foot of groundwater pumped. A 25% surcharge of the total monthly amount will be charged on top of the fees if a landowner fails to submit their extractions by the deadline.
Fees will be due 30 days after the state issues an invoice, which will be mailed to landowners.
Low-income residents, public water systems and schools may not have to pay the fees. To qualify for a fee waiver, the landowner or entity must submit a report and fill out a fee waiver form on GEARS.
This is all part of the region’s probationary designation for lacking an adequate groundwater plan.
The Water Board placed the Tulare Lake subbasin, which covers most of Kings County, on probation in April 2024.
Then in Sept. 2024, the Water Board placed the neighboring Tule subbasin on probation, primarily for not addressing rampant subsidence, or land sinking, which has led to significant damage to the Friant-Kern Canal
A GEARS user guide breaks down how to use the website and how to begin reporting extractions. A landowner will need the following:
- Full name or company name
- The 16-digit ID, which can be found on the notice mailed out by the state
- Parcel information
- Well information
- Meter or evapotranspiration (ET) data
Groundwater sustainability agencies (GSAs) may also register for a GEARS account and report extractions on behalf of landowners.
The guide can be found here. If additional help is needed, pumpers can contact the Water Board at 961-322-6508, email at SGMA@waterboards.ca.gov or visit its website at gears.waterboards.ca.gov.
