Top 3 Key Takeaways
County Well Moratorium Extended: Board of Supervisors adopted Urgency Ordinance No. 1569, placing a 45-day pause on issuing new agricultural well permits in designated Focus Areas to allow time for reviewing permitting policies and assessing crop conversion impacts. During this moratorium period, no new ag well permits will be approved in affected areas (even for parcels only partly within a Focus Area), though exemptions apply for small domestic wells, public system wells, monitoring wells, and certain hardship cases, with a public hearing set for October 7 to consider extension or modification.
New State Land Subsidence Requirements Coming: DWR released draft Best Management Practices for land subsidence that will significantly impact how groundwater agencies manage subsidence issues. The guidance emphasizes that GSAs must actively raise groundwater levels above "critical head" thresholds to prevent subsidence, not just stabilize them, and includes enhanced monitoring requirements and management actions when subsidence risks are identified.
GSA Fee Study Process Launched: The agency is moving forward with developing a fee structure to fund ongoing operations, with multiple options being considered including extraction fees, acreage-based fees, or hybrid approaches. Public workshops will be held throughout the process to gather stakeholder input, with fee adoption targeted for May 2026.
Additional Key Takeaways
Groundwater levels are currently about one foot higher than last year and 27 feet higher than 2022 levels, showing continued recovery from drought conditions.
The Hungry Hollow Groundwater Working Group charter was approved, establishing an 11-member advisory group to develop projects and management actions for that area.
DWR will provide technical assistance to help GSAs implement the new subsidence requirements, including modeling support and data gap analysis.
Well permitting reviews continue under existing procedures, with 21 new applications currently in queue and 13 of those pending in Focus Areas affected by the moratorium.
Grant-funded projects are progressing, including winter water recharge programs, feasibility studies for recycled water use, and groundwater recharge pilot projects.
The GSA's 2027 Periodic Evaluation is underway, which will assess progress on sustainability goals and may result in plan amendments.
Real-time monitoring shows seasonal groundwater level patterns are stabilizing as pumping demand decreases with fall conditions.
Board Approvals
How to Engage
To stay informed or provide input on GSA activities, visit www.yologroundwater.org or contact the YSGA office at (530) 662-3211. The next regular board meeting is scheduled for November 17, 2025. Public workshops for the fee study will be announced and held in different geographic areas to ensure broad participation opportunities.
