Sustainable Groundwater Management Act

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.

As drought continues to hammer the state, advocates are sounding the alarm for what they think could be the collapse of the San Joaquin Valley’s agriculture workforce.

Groundwater limits and fees netted $11 million in 2021 from Tulare Co. farmers. Most of that money will pay a share to fix the sagging Friant-Kern Canal. The rest will pay for projects to stem the groundwater free fall that sank the canal in the first place.

Managers for all the deficient subbasins will now have six months to address plan deficiencies as outlined by the state and resubmit them to DWR for another review. If the plans are rejected at that time, the state Water Resources Control Board could take over the subbasins and manage groundwater directly, or take other, more punitive actions.

A large water pipeline being built near Lemoore in Kings County is raising eyebrows as much for its possible uses as for the name associated with its construction — John Vidovich.