Meeting to be held at the Lemoore City Council Chambers, 429 C Street, Lemoore, CA 93245
The Grower Advisory Committee had a first look on January 9th at the Groundwater Extraction and Allocations Draft Policy. This sparked significant discussion and concerns. Due to the critical nature of this policy to the groundwater users within the SFKGSA the committee decided to hold a second January meeting and start 1 hour earlier at 9:00 AM.
July 16, 2024: Measurement, metering, and reporting deadlines in the Tulare Lake Subbasin have been temporarily suspended due to ongoing litigation. Groundwater extractors are responsible for staying up to date regarding requirements that apply to their extractions. Please check this website frequently for updates: bit.ly/sgma-tulare-lake.
Kings County Farm Bureau’s Press Release Regarding the Temporary Restraining Order referenced above can be found below:
The South Fork Kings GSA is pleased to announce a new partnership with Green Acres Consulting, Inc., bringing seasoned water management professional Johnny Gailey on board to provide comprehensive administrative and management services. Mr. Gailey, who has over 25 years of experience in the agricultural sector and a deep understanding of SGMA regulations, will guide the GSA in its efforts to achieve sustainable groundwater management goals.
In Appreciation:
The South Fork Kings GSA acknowledges the instrumental role of The Kings River Conservation District in facilitating this smooth transition. Their leadership and expertise have been invaluable in positioning the GSA for future success in sustainable groundwater management.
Public Board Hearing April 16, 2024, at 9:30 am In-Person Location Coastal Hearing Room Joe Serna Jr.– CalEPA Headquarters Building 1001 I Street, Second Floor Sacramento, CA 95814
How to provide public comments remotely: – Fill out a virtual speaker card using our online form. – The Board Clerk will respond to your form with Zoom login information for the hearing. – Should you have any questions or problems please send an email to: board.clerk@waterboards.ca.gov. – You will not be able to join the Zoom meeting until you submit this form and receive an email response from the Board Clerk.
How to watch the hearing online: If you do not wish to provide a comment, you can watch the hearing webcast in English or Spanish at: https://video.calepa.ca.gov.
On Tuesday, April 16, 2024, the State Water Board will hold a public hearing to consider designating the Tulare Lake Subbasin as a probationary basin under SGMA.
NOTICE OF OPPORTUNITY TO PROVIDE FEEDBACK, PUBLIC STAFF WORKSHOPS, AND PUBLIC BOARD HEARING FOR THE PROPOSED DESIGNATION OF TULARE LAKE SUBBASIN AS A PROBATIONARY BASIN
A copy of this notice in Spanish can be found at (Este aviso está en español en):bit.ly/swb_sgma_tulare_lake
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN
The California State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board or Board) will hold a public hearing at which it will consider designating the Tulare Lake Subbasin as a probationary basin pursuant to the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA). The hearing will include time for public comments and Spanish interpretation will be available. Participants can provide comments during the hearing in-person or via Zoom. Participants can also follow the instructions below to provide written comments. Additionally, there will be a watch-only webcast option for viewing the hearing. The State Water Board will hold the public hearing at the time and location noted below.
Public Board Hearing Tuesday, April 16, 2024, at 9:30 a.m.
In-Person Location Coastal Hearing Room Joe Serna Jr.– CalEPA Headquarters Building 1001 I Street, Second Floor Sacramento, CA 95814
To Participate Virtually and Provide Oral Public Comment During the Hearing Before or on the day of the public Board hearing, fill out a virtual speaker card using our online form atbit.ly/speaker-card-form. The form will not accept responses until a few days prior to the public hearing. The Board clerk will respond with Zoom login information in advance of the meeting. For more information about participating remotely, please visit bit.ly/providingcomments.
To Watch Only and Not Provide Comment The English and Spanish webcast of the public hearing with closed captioning can be accessed at video.calepa.ca.gov.
PROVIDE FEEDBACK ON STAFF RECOMMENDATION The State Water Board will not make a decision about a probationary designation for the Tulare Lake Subbasin until the public hearing described above; however, State Water Board staff have developed a draft recommendation for the State Water Board to consider, which describes the actions staff recommends the State Water Board should take. We invite your input on the draft staff report no later thanDecember 11, 2023, at 12:00 noon. Staff will consider all comments received by the December 11, 2023, at noon deadline when developing the final staff report.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR SUBMITTING WRITTEN COMMENTS Persons interested in submitting written comments on the probationary notice or draft staff report are encouraged to submit electronic comments. All written comments must be received no later than December 11, 2023, at 12:00 noon. Please use the subject line: “Comments – Tulare Lake Subbasin.”
Electronic Comments:
Written comments may be submitted electronically via email in pdf format (if less than15 megabytes in total size) to SGMA-TulareLake@waterboards.ca.gov. If the file is greater than 15 megabytes in size, the written comments may be submitted by fax at (916) 341-5620, in multiple emails, by mail, or hand delivery.
Mail/Hand Delivery:
Comments submitted by mail or hand delivery must be addressed as follows:
Courtney Tyler, Clerk to the Board State Water Resources Control Board 1001 I Street, 24th Floor, Sacramento, CA 95814-0100 (hand delivery) P.O. Box 100, Sacramento, CA 95812-2000 (mail)
Mail must be received (not postmarked) at the State Water Board office by December 11, 2023. All hand-delivered submittals must arrive and be date and timestamped prior to December 11, 2023, at 12:00 noon. Couriers delivering hard copies of comment letters must check-in with lobby security personnel who will contact the Clerk to the Board at (916) 341-5611.
If you would like a copy of the written comments submitted on this subject, please send a request to SGMA-TulareLake@waterboards.ca.gov identifying the subject listed above. Copies of written comments will not be available until after the comment deadline.
PUBLIC STAFF WORKSHOPS PRIOR TO PUBLIC PROBATIONARY BOARD HEARING
Staff will also hold two public staff workshops to explain the draft staff report and share more about how to participate in the State Water Board’s state intervention process. Staff will also accept verbal public comments on the draft staff report at the workshops. While a quorum of the State Water Board may be present, the State Water Board will not take regulatory action at the workshops.
Virtual Staff Workshop Friday, November 3, 2023 11:00 AM – 1:30 PM Staff presentation will start at 11:00 AM Staff will begin accepting public comments at 12:00 PM Zoom link: https://kearnswest.zoom.us/j/86732195332
In-Person Staff Workshop Wednesday, November 8, 2023 6:00 PM – 8:30 PM (No internet viewing option; in-person only) Staff presentation will start at 6:00 PM Staff will begin accepting public comments at 7:00 PM Hanford Civic Auditorium 400 N Douty Street, Hanford, CA 93230
LANGUAGE ACCESS
Spanish language interpretation will be provided at the public staff workshops on November 3 and 8, 2023, and at the public Board hearing on April 16, 2024. To request interpretation in another language or sign language services, please submit your request by the following deadlines: October 20 for the November 3, 2023 virtual public workshop, October 25 for the November 8 in-person public workshop, and April 2 for the April 16, 2024 public Board hearing. Submit your request using one of the following options:
Complete an online request at bit.ly/LanguageAccessForm
The Hanford Civic Auditorium and the CalEPA Building are both accessible to persons with disabilities. Individuals requiring special accommodations are requested to call (916) 341-5261 at least 5 working days prior to the meeting. Telecommunications Device for the Deaf (TDD) users may contact the California Relay Service at (800) 735-2929 or voice line at (800) 735-2922.
PARKING
November 8, 2023 Public Staff Workshop:
Public street parking is available on Douty, Irwin, and Eighth streets adjacent to the Hanford Civic Auditorium.
All visitors to the CalEPA Building are required to sign in and obtain a visitor badge at the Visitor Services Center located just inside the main entrance (10th Street entrance) of the lobby of the building. Valid picture identification may be required. Please allow up to 15 minutes for receiving security clearance.
BACKGROUND
SGMA and State Intervention
SGMA (Senate Bill [SB] 1168, Assembly Bill 1739, and SB 1319) requires local groundwater sustainability agencies (GSAs) to develop and implement groundwater sustainability plans (GSPs) so that the many uses of groundwater can continue into the future. If local GSAs do not propose an adequate plan to sustainably manage groundwater use in their basin, SGMA gives the State Water Board authority to protect groundwater resources through a process called “state intervention.” State intervention is additional to local management and is intended to be temporary, lasting only until local agencies demonstrate an adequate plan to manage their respective basins.
Inadequate Groundwater Sustainability Plan and State Intervention Trigger
The Department of Water Resources (DWR) has designated the Tulare Lake Subbasin as a high-priority basin that is subject to critical conditions of overdraft. The GSAs for the Tulare Lake Subbasin adopted a groundwater sustainability plan for the Subbasin on January 29, 2020, and submitted the plan to DWR for review.
On March 2, 2023, DWR determined the GSP for the Tulare Lake Subbasin to be “inadequate.” The DWR inadequate determination of the Tulare Lake GSP triggers “state intervention” with the State Water Board. (Wat. Code, § 10735.2, subd. (a)(3).)
Effects of a Probationary Designation
After state intervention is triggered in a groundwater basin, the next step is for the State Water Board to consider making a probationary determination for the basin. This is done through a public process that includes the probationary public hearing discussed in this notice. If the State Water Board designates a basin as probationary, GSAs have time to address the issues (deficiencies) that caused the basin to go into probation while the State Water Board will focus on data collection and analysis to better understand what management challenges are occurring in the basin.
To acquire the necessary data, the State Water Board can require extractors (groundwater pumpers) to install meters to measure and report their groundwater extractions accurately. Alternatively, the State Water Board can specify other means for measuring and reporting groundwater extractions. (Wat. Code, § 10735.2, subd. (c)(3).)
Extractors must report all groundwater extractions annually to the State Water Board and pay reporting fees to cover the cost of Board activities, except where excluded by SGMA or the Board. (Wat. Code, § 5202.) The State Water Board may also conduct investigations and gather data necessary for sustainable groundwater management. (Wat. Code, § 10736.6.)
Local agencies have at least one year from the probationary designation to resolve the deficiencies identified by the State Water Board. If, after a year, local agencies have not resolved the deficiencies, the State Water Board may develop an interim plan to manage groundwater use in the basin. An interim plan is intended to be a temporary measure to protect groundwater until effective local management is in place. Adoption of an interim plan would only occur after public notice and a public hearing.
SIGN UP FOR UPDATES Subscribe to our Groundwater Management email list to receive updates related to State Water Board actions under SGMA. See the “Stay Informed” section on the State Water Board’s SGMA website, http://www.waterboards.ca.gov/sgma
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Find information on state intervention in the Tulare Lake Subbasin at the State Water Board’s Tulare Lake Subbasin webpage bit.ly/swb_sgma_tulare_lake.
For questions regarding the workshop or this notice, please contact us at SGMA@waterboards.ca.govor at (916) 322-6508.
