The Fifth District Court of Appeal ruled to resume state enforcement in the Tulare Lake Subbasin after a 16-month legal pause, requiring farmers to report pumping data by May 1, 2026, and pay fees of $20 per acre-foot plus $300 per well annually. The court's "good actor clause" victory creates a pathway for compliant agencies to potentially avoid basin-wide probationary status. Here is everything you need to know.
The Kern County Subbasin avoided state intervention after its 20 groundwater sustainability agencies made substantial improvements to their management plans, including enhanced monitoring, robust dry well mitigation programs offering up to $90,000 per well, and more protective water quality thresholds. The basin has already achieved 31% of its planned demand reduction and added 2.75 million acre-feet of groundwater storage, demonstrating significant progress toward sustainability.
The Water Board proposed a new graduated SGMA fee structure that would lower costs for most small and mid-sized farmers while increasing rates for large users. Key concerns included potential loopholes for large operators to avoid fees, use of budget reserves, and the fairness of layering new fees on top of existing GSA costs.
