By Lisa McEwen, SJV Water
Subsidence has reared its head again as a key factor cited by state Water Resources Control Board staff for recommending that the Kaweah groundwater subbasin be placed on probation – the first step toward possible state takeover of groundwater pumping.
The recommendation was contained in a draft report released May 6, which set Nov. 5 for Kaweah’s hearing before the Water Board.
Subsidence was listed as a major factor in similar staff reports for the Tulare Lake and Tule subbasins. Tulare Lake was, indeed, placed on probation by the Water Board April 16 and the Tule subbasin comes before the board Sept. 17.
The Kaweah report identified additional challenges for water managers in the subbasin, which covers the northern half of Tulare County’s valley portion into the eastern fringes of Kings County. Those challenges include the need to better protect domestic wells from lowered groundwater levels; reduce impacts to wetlands and rivers; and improve water quality, among others.
A coordinated response to the newly identified issues will be provided at two upcoming public workshops, according to a press release issued by the subbasin’s three groundwater agencies, East Kaweah, Mid-Kaweah and Greater Kaweah. This is different from what occurred at the workshops for Tulare Lake and Tule, in which managers provided separate statements during a public comment period.
“The Kaweah Subbasin GSAs (groundwater sustainability agencies) look forward to sharing our work and progress towards groundwater sustainability,” the release states.
A virtual workshop will be held June 24 and an in-person workshop is set for June 27 at Sequoia High School in Visalia. The public is invited to share written comments on the report by July 8.
Tulare Lake, Tule and Kaweah are among six San Joaquin Valley subbasins under the microscope of the Water Board, the enforcement arm of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, which requires groundwater basins be brought into balance by 2040.
The Kern subbasin will come before the board in January 2025. And the Delta-Mendota and Chowchilla subbasins will have hearings later in 2025.
If revised groundwater plans do not meet the Water Board’s satisfaction, then state bureaucrats can step in to manage the basin in a “probationary” stage which means landowners must report extractions, place meters on their wells, and pay fees to register wells and for every acre foot pumped.
The Kaweah subbasin has the benefit of learning from the Tulare Lake and Tule agencies’ experience before the Water Board.
Unlike Tulare Lake, whose five GSAs appeared before the board with no updated plan, Kaweah managers anticipate a revised plan ready for review by the end of May, which will give state board staff time to review it. Tule managers are working feverishly to provide a plan in advance of their hearing.
Managers in East Kaweah and Mid-Kaweah instituted groundwater pumping limits and began charging extraction fees several years ago to change behavior and attitudes among pumpers.
The Greater Kaweah GSA, however, didn’t begin similar efforts until last fall, which caused a great deal of tension between the agencies.
That appears to have dissipated somewhat in recent months.
In a report to the Kaweah Delta Water Conservation District board May 7, Greater Kaweah manager Mark Larsen wrote that he is encouraged by the progress and coordination happening among the three GSAs to address deficiencies from the Department of Water Resources, and now, the state water board.
“I think we’re in a good position to have an approved plan,” he said.
