By Lisa McEwen, SJV Water
The grim reality for agriculture under the state’s new groundwater law has pitted farmer against farmer in several regions, including the Pleasant Valley subbasin.
An April 22 meeting of the Pleasant Valley Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA) erupted in accusations of conflict of interest as some farmers demanded the resignation of GSA General Manager Brad Gleason.
“I do not want you making decisions for my farms or my family. The leadership is not there anymore,” grower Jim Anderson said.
He accused Gleason of acting in his own best interests and outside the scope of his authority as president of the Pleasant Valley Water District and manager of the GSA.
Specifically, Gleason was accused of signing a $25 million loan application without board approval. The alleged application was with the U.S. Department of Agriculture for a proposed pipeline that would bring surface water to the subbasin where Gleason has land, according to a letter sent to the board by grower Phillip Christensen.
Gleason, who has farmed in the area for more than 40 years, denied the allegations in a terse back-and-forth with attorneys at the meeting.
He said he was elected to serve through 2027 and intends to do so, but “is open to transitioning certain administrative responsibilities to others.”
This all comes as the 48,000-acre district is facing possible probation under the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) by the Water Resources Control Board.
The subbasin’s groundwater plan was found inadequate by the Department of Water Resources in February, which puts it under the Water Board for possible enforcement action.
Attorney Lauren Layne, who represents Christensen, said the GSA should hire someone else to manage the process of revamping the subbasin’s groundwater plan with the state Water Board staff.
“I urge you to do it quickly,” she said.
The next meeting with Water Board staff is scheduled for May 5.
Pleasant Valley is the seventh subbasin in the San Joaquin Valley to be recommended for probation under SGMA, which mandates that aquifers reach sustainable levels by 2040. Under probation, landowners would be required to register their wells at $350 each, install meters and pay $20 per acre foot of water pumped from the aquifer.
Pumping limits
This has been a tough pill to swallow for areas like Pleasant Valley, which does not have a surface water contract and is a “closed” basin, meaning there is little to no surface water to replenish what is pumped from the aquifer.
While some growers buy water that is delivered via the California Aqueduct and Coalinga Canal, most rely entirely on groundwater. Complying with SGMA means severe reductions in the amount of groundwater they can pump.
Board member and water policy committee chair Kyle Murai said the GSA will have to simultaneously manage the state board process while instituting a pumping curtailment policy.
He also anticipates “starting all over with a clean slate” on the three deficiencies identified by the state. Those include a reasonable assessment of overdraft conditions and ways to prevent future overdraft, and not being protective enough of groundwater levels and water quality.
“Our curtailment policy will be a big part of getting us in compliance and our plan approved,” said Murai, who is director of portfolio management with Gladstone Land Corporation, a large landowner in the GSA.
“We have a lot of history to work through and it’s difficult with landowner interests. Curtailment will be significant, and I don’t know how that will look for each landowner.”
Murai anticipates the policy will be set in mid-May after meeting with Water Board staff.
Yet, he remains optimistic.
“We are a smaller basin relative to other ones that are with the state board, and we view that as an opportunity. Getting our basin to sustainability is definitely doable.”
