Kings County farmers vote down proposed groundwater pumping fees
Water users in the Mid-Kings River Groundwater Sustainability Agency shot down a proposed pumping fee that would have been nearly $100 per acre-foot. That sends the Mid-Kings River GSA back to the drawing board, with local stakeholders calling for more input in the next proposal. The backstory: California views that the GSA – which comprises of water users in the Kings County Water District, the City of Hanford and Kings County – has not done enough to manage groundwater pumping through the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA). SGMA was passed by the Legislature in 2014, and it governs how agencies in critically overdrafted areas achieve groundwater sustainability.
Related article:
- Union of Concerned Scientists: Blog – Understanding future groundwater sustainability scenarios