1. State Water Board Moving Up Timeline for Interim Plan — Potential Pumping Moratorium Near Friant-Kern Canal The State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) announced it is accelerating its interim plan timeline, now targeting adoption in January–February 2027 (previously expected around June/July 2027). Phase 1 proposes a groundwater pumping moratorium within approximately two miles on either side of the Friant-Kern Canal, spanning the full length of the Tule Subbasin. Phase 2 would impose pumping restrictions across the rest of the subbasin. A small portion of Lower Tule's district near the canal could be swept into the moratorium despite having a positive groundwater balance in that area. The district and subbasin policy groups are working urgently on an alternative plan to present before the state imposes its own, but the window is extremely tight — the state indicated it will proceed regardless of local plan progress.
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