Monserrat Solis / SJV Water

Two neighboring groundwater agencies in Kings County are preparing for a showdown over how much farmers can pump even as the state Water Resources Control Board restarted probationary sanctions for farmers in the Tulare Lake subbasin.

Appellate court justices heard arguments Tuesday in the highly watched dispute over whether the state exceeded its authority when it placed the Tulare Lake subbasin on probation last year for failing to come up with an adequate plan to protect the region’s groundwater.