Urgent Timeline to Avoid State Fees: The GSA must submit a revised Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP) by early 2026 to apply for "good actor" status and avoid state-imposed fees of $300 per well plus $20 per acre-foot pumped, retroactive to July 2024. The state board won't meet with GSA representatives until December, creating an extremely tight timeline for completion.
Conflict Over Water Allocation Methods: A significant dispute has emerged with Mid Kings River GSA over different methodologies for calculating sustainable yield, with Mid Kings using historical pumping data (resulting in 1.43 acre-feet per acre) while South Fork Kings uses basin-wide distribution (0.66 acre-feet per acre plus transitional water). This disagreement threatens coordination efforts and may complicate state approval.
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