SJV WATER: Kaweah growers likely to avoid state intervention but still face “mountain of work”

By Lisa McEwen, SJV Water

Even with the threat of state intervention all but in the rearview mirror, Kaweah water managers maintained a muted celebratory tone at a recent “State of the Subbasin” event, which attracted more than 350 farmers.

Managers and consultants tempered their Oct. 21 presentations with the harsh reality of implementing groundwater plans that will maintain tough stances on subsidence, water quality and groundwater levels as the region complies with the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA).

That means reduced groundwater pumping and less farming.

“The reality is we have to go on this path and it won’t be pretty,” said Mark Larsen, general manager of Greater Kaweah Groundwater Sustainability Agency.

Farmers overdraft the region’s aquifer by about 180,000 acre feet per year. The various recharge and conservation projects planned and underway will likely cut that amount by a third, said Mike Hagman, manager of the East Kaweah GSA.

“But we still need to cut about 120,000 acre-feet of demand from our basin and (limited pumping) allocations is the only way to do it.”

Along with reducing that chronic overdraft, water managers are trying to maintain water quality, protect domestic wells and curb subsidence, or land sinking, that has been creeping in along the subbasin’s western edge.

“Managing subsidence is going to require a lot of action, and fairly quickly,” hydrogeologist Derrik Williams told the group.

Subsidence is an increasing priority for the state because of damage it causes to infrastructure, such as the Friant-Kern Canal, which has sunk due to excessive groundwater pumping in the Tule subbasin south of the Kaweah subbasin.

Kaweah water managers are already incorporating practices included in a draft subsidence paper released by DWR in July.

That includes working regionally with the adjacent Tule and Tulare Lake subbasins.

“Subsidence is going to be driving a lot of the groundwater management decisions your board members are going to be making. For better or worse, and probably for worse,” Williams said.

The Water Resources Control Board staff recommended earlier this month to move the Kaweah subbasin, which covers the northern half of Tulare County’s flatlands, from enforcement and return the region to the Department of Water Resources’ oversight. A vote is scheduled at the board’s Dec. 2 board meeting.

“We can’t kick back because we have a mountain of work ahead of us,” said East Kaweah GSA vice chairman Craig Hornung of being moved back to DWR.

Hornung said that while the event was well attended, many growers remain unaware of the work done by GSAs on their behalf, as well as their own role in reaching sustainability.

“I don’t know that they understand how critical water levels are in the Kaweah subbasin,” he said. “Growers need to be vigilant on their water use, doing what they can do to maximize efficiency. And they need to look at other ways to sink water on their properties when excess water is available. GSAs can’t do it by themselves. It has to be a collective effort.”

Managers reiterated the need for growers to comply with well registration requests so managers can make more accurate allocation decisions. The goal is to complete registration by mid-2026.

Grower Brandon Dykstra asked if farmers can count on any stability moving forward.

“We are trying to find a path that does get you to five-year allocation chunks for planning,” said Aaron Fukuda, manager of the Mid-Kaweah GSA. “But what if three of those years are drought years? How can you own a business if you don’t have stability? We are trying to preserve as much ag as we can.”