Thursday September 19, 2024
SJV Water –
Farmers in southern Tulare County will face greater pumping scrutiny after the state placed the region on probation following a lengthy hearing in Sacramento on Tuesday.
State Water Resources Control Board members acknowledged a new groundwater plan submitted by water managers in August had made great strides in many areas. But the big sticking point was subsidence, or land sinking.
Calling the situation a “crisis,” State Water Resources Control Board members voted unanimously to put the Tule groundwater subbasin on probation based on a staff report that showed subsidence continues to plague the region, causing ongoing damage to the vital Friant-Kern Canal.
As part of its vote for probation, the Water Board also adopted a clarified path for water agencies that are complying with the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act to get out of probation on the so-called “good actor” clause.
Though Water Board members said the region’s problems over all are “urgent” and in need of much more aggressive actions, they also voted to exempt the Delano-Earlimart Irrigation District and Kern-Tulare Water District groundwater sustainability agencies (GSAs) from pumping reporting requirements…