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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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High schoolers deepen their water knowledge at Sacramento conference

• by Lisa McEwen, SJV Water
Acronyms are so prevalent in the water industry that stringing several together can form an impressive-sounding sentence.  That’s exactly what Hanford High School junior Morgan Carrroll did at an April 5 workshop in Sacramento called Water 101 put on by the Water Education Foundation.  After winning a game of bingo no less. The bingo game…
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State Water Board reduces pumping fees by half but some say it’s still too high

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water
Members of the state Water Resources Control Board voted unanimously on Tuesday, March 19, to reduce pumping fees for groundwater users in subbasins that come under state control, known as “probationary status.” The controversial fee was lowered from $40 per-acre-foot of pumped water to $20 per acre foot.   The board will hold its first probationary…
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“We’re finished”: Some small Kings County farmers fear state’s groundwater law being used against them

• by Lisa McEwen, SJV Water
Last-ditch revisions being considered for the groundwater plan covering Kings County are not only “too little, too late” to avoid state intervention, according to one observer, they could be a death knell for smaller farmers. “We’re finished,” small farmer Doug Freitas said, of how the proposed revisions would affect his farm.  The heart of Freitas’…
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Climate change is pushing more San Joaquin Valley farmers to buy crop insurance as losses mount

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water
After historic flooding in California’s Tulare Lake subbasin last year, farmers in Kings County alone submitted claims of $86 million in losses for crop insurance.  That’s 3.3% of the total gross value of agricultural products listed in the 2022 Kings County crop report. And it’s far above the $8 million in losses reported for 2022,…
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Dairies in Tulare and Kings counties still struggling with damage in wake of last year’s flooding

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water
When flood water swamped dairies in Tulare and Kings counties last spring, it destroyed equipment, drowned crops and left a trail of salt-laden muck that farmers are still grappling with.  The ongoing damage is so bad, some dairies may never recover. The biggest problem is the loss of crops and cropland. Farmers lost an entire…
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State’s groundwater enforcement timeline is “not nearly as ambitious” as originally envisioned

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water
State staff revealed it will be well into 2025 before all of the “inadequate” groundwater subbasins will start probationary hearings.  The state Water Resources Control Board held a meeting on Tuesday where staff discussed the tentative schedule and heard from water agencies and members of the public.  The Water Board is the enforcement arm under…
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