By Monsserat Solis, SJV Water
The directors of a Kings County water district didn’t like it, but they agreed to support a land assessment fee to pay for regulations to minimize the impacts of excessive groundwater pumping even though the district, itself, doesn’t actually contribute to the problem.
Directors of the Lakeside Irrigation Water District agreed on Sept. 2 to support a land assessment fee being proposed by a separate entity, the Mid-Kings Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA), whose boundaries include the water district. That fee must be approved by landowners and agencies within the GSA through a Proposition 218 election.
Mid-Kings GSA is proposing to establish an annual fee of $26.84 per acre, which would bring in $2,467,400 in 2027, so it can pay for its general operations, including its portion of a groundwater plan that the entire Tulare Lake subbasin hopes will meet state approval and get the region out of probation.
But most of the 330 acres owned by Lakeside Irrigation is actually used for groundwater recharge from the Kaweah River, directors noted at their meeting. Meaning, the district, itself, not only doesn’t contribute to the groundwater deficit, it provides a net benefit to the subbasin.
“To keep Mid-Kings out of probation, I’d say we need to help them out because if we don’t, it might transfer over to everything else,” board member Clinton Church said.
He referred to the Water Resources Control Board’s powers to enforce the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, which requires critically overdrafted regions to bring aquifers into balance by 2040. The Tulare Lake subbasin, which covers most of Kings County, was put on probation in 2024 for lacking a plan to move the region in that direction.
Probation comes with significant reporting requirements and extra state fees.
“My only deal with this is, not paying, but that the landowners in Lakeside get dinged twice,” General Manager Shawn Corley told the board.
Lakeside landowners pay the district to receive water and, if the Mid-Kings land assessment fee is approved, will also have to pay that fee to the GSA.
Board members lamented that Lakeside wasn’t exempted from the Mid-Kings fee, as were cemeteries, schools and parks.
“I wish that the Lakeside wasn’t involved in this,” Director Church said.
If the proposed Mid-Kings fee is approved, Lakeside Irrigation would owe $8,884 in land assessment fees for its 331 acres.
The district covers 32,000 acres and stretches across three GSAs in two subbasins.
About 20% of its land is in Mid-Kings GSA and 1% in the El Rico GSA, which are both in the Tulare Lake subbasin. Close to 80% of Lakeside’s land is in the Greater Kaweah GSA in the Kaweah subbasin, which does have an approved groundwater plan.
Mid-Kings is also proposing a pumping fee of $19.24 per acre foot. That fee must be approved under a separate Proposition 26 election. Since Lakeside Irrigation District doesn’t pump, it won’t be charged for that fee but some of its farmers may be.
Money from that pumping fee would pay for pumping-related programs developed by Mid-Kings. Those include its water quality and subsidence programs and its well program, which repairs domestic wells damaged by excessive groundwater pumping.
The Kings County Water District, which was part of Mid-Kings until it left the GSA in 2024, also agreed to support the proposed fees during its Sept. 3 meeting. The district has about 1,017 acres in Mid-Kings and would be charged $27,296 for water year 2027.
Landowners in Mid-Kings should have received the Proposition 218 ballot in the mail.
Ballots are due back to the district by Sept. 29 at 1 p.m. Ballots may be mailed, dropped off at a ballot box or brought to the final public hearing.
The drop-off ballot box is outside of the Kings County Elections Department, 1400 W. Lacey Blvd Building #7 and is labeled “Ballot Drop Off” and marked with red, white and blue images.
