Sustainable Groundwater Management Act

State Water Resources Control Board Chair Joaquin Esquivel sat down with KVPR’s Elizabeth Arakelian to discuss groundwater resources, and why his agency may be placing a region of Kern County under probation.

A Kings County judge granted a temporary restraining order against the state's unprecedented mandate. Growers there will not have to meter their groundwater use for now.

If local groundwater agencies can’t agree on a plan to rein in pumping voluntarily, the state could impose stricter measures.

The California State Water Resources Control Board voted unanimously Tuesday to place the Tulare Lake Subbasin on probation over concerns with subsidence that come from excessive groundwater pumping.

In 2014, the mammoth groundwater management law known as SGMA promised to overhaul water use in the state. A recent conference showed how the rubber is hitting the road.

Groundwater plans, largely serving low-income Latino communities, were deemed inadequate for preventing dry wells and sinking land.

Communities still have dry wells. Restoring groundwater takes decades, with costly, long-term replenishment projects — and ultimately, much less pumping.

Looking at water levels near Hanford in Kings County, researchers determined land will continue sinking for centuries unless groundwater is replenished in those areas.

The Kings River East Groundwater Sustainability Agency covers eastern Fresno County and a chunk of northern Tulare County. Its board of directors approved a letter disavowing ag's responsibility to raise groundwater levels enough to protect all domestic wells.

The new proposed funding comes at a critical time as groundwater restrictions take effect and drought grips the state for a third year in a row.