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State appeals Kings County judge’s groundwater injunction

• by Monserrat Solis, California Local News Fellow
Editor’s note: Monserrat Solis covers Kings County water issues for SJV Water through the California Local News Fellowship initiative. The state Water Resources Control Board announced Monday it is appealing a Kings County judge’s preliminary injunction that has forced the state to hold off on measures intended to corral excessive groundwater pumping in the region….
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MEETING NOTES: Tulare Lake Basin Water Storage board talks levies, audits and “sloppy” legislative sessions

• by Monserrat Solis, California Local News Fellow
Editor’s note: Monserrat Solis covers Kings County water issues for SJV Water through the California Local News Fellowship initiative. Meeting: Tulare Lake Basin Water Storage District Date: Sept. 10, 2024 Agenda and meeting packet: CLICK HERE The Tulare Lake Basin Water District Board of Directors unanimously voted to hold a hearing to impose a $10-per-acre levy at…
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Kings County judge extends restraining order giving growers more time as they fight state pumping restrictions

• by Monserrat Solis, California Local News Fellow
Editor’s note: Monserrat Solis covers Kings County water issues for SJV Water through the California Local News Fellowship initiative. Kings County farmers will have more time to fight requirements from the State Water Resources Control Board to meter their wells and pay extraction fees. A temporary restraining order blocking those measures was extended to Sept. 13 by…
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Rising from the ashes: Groundwater agency blamed for Kings County probationary woes relaunches

• by Lisa McEwen, SJV Water
After several rounds of musical chairs in front of a standing-room only audience, a groundwater agency that had been blamed for putting Kings County into probationary status with the state was reconstituted and launched anew Monday night. “Tonight’s the night we come together,” said Kings County Supervisor Doug Verboon, who, along with his fellow supervisors…
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Kings County judge rules state overstepped by requiring farmers to meter, report groundwater extractions

• by Lisa McEwen, SJV Water
The first steps toward possible state control of groundwater pumping in Kings County were derailed under a ruling issued July 15 that said the Water Resources Control Board had overstepped its bounds by requiring meters on wells. The temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction were issued by Kings County Superior Court Judge Kathy Ciuffini in…
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Kings County farmers face probation as state demands well registration, detailed pumping reports

• by Lisa McEwen, SJV Water
Probation has started for the Tulare Lake subbasin and farmers will be getting a list of “to-dos” in the mail this week. The State Water Resources Control Board is sending step-by-step instructions of what’s expected under this historic designation, in which board staff will begin collecting pumping information. The board declared the region under probation…
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Kings County Farm Bureau blames one local water board for state intervention; demands heads roll

• by Lisa McEwen, SJV Water
The fallout and recriminations in Kings County continue over the state Water Resources Control Board’s historic decision to place the Tulare Lake subbasin on probation for failing to come up with a cohesive plan to protect the region’s groundwater. The Kings County Farm Bureau, which has already sued the Water Board over the probationary designation,…
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Kings County growers nix local groundwater fees as they face state actions aimed at curbing excessive pumping

• by Lisa McEwen, SJV Water
Hundreds of landowners in the Tulare Lake groundwater subbasin overwhelmingly rejected proposed pumping fees this week that would have added thousands of dollars on top of fees they’re expected to start paying the state in coming months. The fee showdown at the Mid-Kings River Groundwater Sustainability Agency meeting April 23 came just a week after…
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