Ahead of the year’s first discussions on raising fees at the State Water Resources Control Board, Bob Gore, a senior advisor at the Gualco Group, is once again warning that fallowing due to the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act will disrupt the agency’s revenue system.
Fewer acres in production will lead to a drop in fees for the Irrigated Lands Regulatory Program. At a hearing this week, Gore, who represents the California Association of Winegrape Growers and several water districts, called for restructuring IRLP.
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He pointed out that farmland along the Kings River has shrunk from about 850,000 acres before SGMA to less than 700,000 today.
But Gore saw hope in CDFA’s initiative to streamline water board permits through a central reporting hub, which aims to reduce costs and subsequent fees.
