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Shining Light on Farm & Food Policy for 20 Years.
Wednesday, December 11, 2024
The State Water Resources Control Board is dramatically raising its fees on groundwater recharge permits, adding more compliance costs and more tension for water districts planning for climate swings.
The Department of Water Resources took an unusual step for an agency in publicly backing a measure to limit new groundwater wells. The bill was an attempt to fix several problems in Newsom’s drought order in 2022, which unsuccessfully sought to protect drinking water wells.
Lawmakers are casting a critical eye to the implementation of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, with calls for elevating environmental justice within the process and establishing a stronger state role.
San Luis Obispo County has been restricting new groundwater wells in the Paso Robles subbasin for nearly a decade. Now county supervisors are hoping to tack on a carbon sequestration mandate.