BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Groundwater agencies in the Kern subbasin are working on a new plan to avoid state probation and ensure sustainability.
- Kern subbasin groundwater agencies approved a new sustainability plan to avoid probation.
- The plan includes a $3 million program to repair domestic wells affected by falling water tables.
- The State Water Board has granted a month to amend the plan, postponing probation hearing.
- Next hearing scheduled for September 17 to review progress on groundwater management.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
The State Water Board is giving Kern's GSAs another month to fix the Groundwater Sustainability Plan. This doesn’t mean the new plan will be accepted.
Earlier this week, the California Water Board held a probationary hearing to consider whether to adopt a resolution putting the Kern County Groundwater Subbasin on probation under the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act.
94 basins in California are required by SGMA to manage groundwater sustainably. Kern County is one of 6 basins that was referred to the State Water Board.
However, at the hearing, the Board made a decision to let Kern Groundwater Sustainability Agencies amend the plan by June 20th.
Natalie Stork, is the Director for Sustainable Groundwater Management, with the State Water Board and she says, "The good news was the subbasin wasn't put on probation. The other news is there's still a lot of hard work to be done to reach sustainable groundwater management, but the Board is recognizing the progress we've seen and the good work that these local agencies have done with State Water Board staff."
The State Water Board says they are asking for improvements around the groundwater monitoring network, water levels, and water quality.
Jenny Holtermann is a local farmer here in Kern County, and she says that the Kern GSAs are going to fill in all the gaps that the State Water Board is looking for in this new amended plan. "The goal is always to have local control of our water, and that the local agencies can manage it here ourselves and not have the state step in. So, yes, hopefully, we can get a plan that the state and our local GSAs can agree on." She said.
The State Water Board says if they do put Kern County subbasins on probation, that would mean many groundwater pumpers in the basin would need to start recording and reporting their groundwater extractions and paying an associated fee.
"The fees are not meant to be punitive. The law says the State Water Board has to recover the cost of state intervention, and so the fees are set to just purely recoup the cost of the program and no more than that." Stork said.
Natalie Stork says the reason for the reporting is so the State Water Board staff can get more information on how much groundwater is being pumped in case the Board needs to write its own plan for the basin.
The State Water Resources Control Board says they see how hard all the Kern GSAs have been working together to get this plan up to the state's expectations.
The next hearing is scheduled for September 17th.
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