September 22, 2021 Board Meeting CANCELLED
The September 22, 2021 Board Meeting has been CANCELLED.
Author: Cristel Tufenkjian
September 13, 2021 Policy Committee Meeting CANCELLED
The September 13, 2021 Policy Committee Meeting has been CANCELLED.
Laguna Irrigation District Basin 11 Improvement & Expansion Completed
The Laguna Irrigation District Basin 11 Improvement project consisted of the development of a groundwater recharge basin on a 52-acre site using Kings River floodwater as the primary water source.
This project increased conveyance capacity of the Liberty Canal, constructed a basin with exterior levees, a settling channel, a check structure and headworks to divert water, and installed flow meters and monitoring wells. The project was recently improved through excavation to increase water infiltration resulting in more water being recharged.
The Basin 11 Expansion Project was completed in 2019, adding 38 acres to the project.
Regulation for wells, groundwater usage
The North Fork Kings GSA Board adopted Rules and Regulations in December 2020 to sustainably manage groundwater within the GSA boundary. These regulations, which will be periodically updated, are necessary to implement solutions that will provide a groundwater supply buffer for landowners to use during drier years. The regulations cover topics such as registration of wells, installation of flowmeters, groundwater usage, fees, and storage of groundwater. You can review these rules on the Board Policies webpage.
Here is a brief overview of each of these:
Individual Recharge
A landowner may use existing facilities to store surface water underground within the North Fork Kings GSA boundary and can then put that water to their own beneficial use within the GSA boundaries. The GSA is currently developing the process for growers to participate in an individual recharge program.
Well Registration
Any new wells constructed after January 31, 2021 must be registered with the North Fork Kings GSA within 30 days of drilling completion. All new wells must also install a flowmeter at the time of construction. Metering wells will allow the North Fork Kings GSA to have reliable, accurate extraction data to more effectively track progress and achieve sustainability goals.
All existing wells owned by landowners who own sixty or more acres within the North Fork Kings GSA boundary need to be registered with the North Fork Kings GSA by July 1, 2022. All other wells must be registered by January 1, 2023.
Criteria for Using Meters
All new extraction wells, excluding de minimis users (a person who extracts 2 acre-feet per year or less of groundwater for domestic purposes) are required to be measured by flowmeters and all costs associated with the purchase, installation, operation and maintenance of flowmeters shall be borne by the owner or operation of each extraction facility. In the future, the North Fork Kings GSA may require flowmeters on all non-de minimis wells.
Groundwater Usage
Currently, the North Fork Kings GSA is utilizing satellite imagery, needs analysis, local precipitation and surface water accounting to determine pumping in the region. This technology along with meter information is necessary to develop an accurate water balance for the region. Technical groups are developing future groundwater allocations which are necessary to balance groundwater supplies.
Fees & Assessments
The North Fork Kings GSA is funded through land-based assessments that are included on County property tax bills. North Fork Kings GSA landowners voted to allow a maximum $10.00 per acre assessment in order to locally manage groundwater. In the future, groundwater pumping fees may be necessary to build recharge ponds to replenish groundwater in rainy years.
If the North Fork Kings GSA is unable to locally fund the implementation of SGMA and achieve groundwater sustainability, the State could step in and impose a fee structure on groundwater pumpers many times more costly than the North Fork Kings GSA. They, the State, will also regulate how much groundwater a landowner can pump.
Terra Linda Fruit Avenue Recharge Project Completed
The recently completed Terra Linda Fruit Avenue Recharge project is an 80-acre Landowner Project within the Liberty Mill Race Company service area of the North Fork Kings GSA. The project included construction of above ground levees and installation of headworks and structures for three lift pumps. A generator backup, to keep water flowing in the event of power outage, will soon be installed.
All surface waters for the project will be supplied by Liberty Mill Race Company in the form of its Pre-1914 water supply during flood events.
The North Fork Kings GSA will continue to implement innovative projects that will lead to a resilient supply of groundwater in the region while working to keep groundwater management local.
Board approves $10 per acre assessment
At the May 26 Board Meeting, the North Fork Kings GSA Board approved a maximum assessment of $10 per acre for Fiscal Year 2021-22. The fall county tax rolls will include the assessment. This means if a landowner owns 100 acres, the amount that will be due to the North Fork Kings GSA in Fiscal Year 2022 is $1,000. There are 163,653.7 assessable acres in the North Fork Kings GSA. Based on the assessable acres, this generates $1,636,537 of projected revenue for implementation.
With the adoption of the North Fork Kings GSA’s Groundwater Sustainability Plan in January 2020, the budget focuses on implementation projects and programs that will achieve groundwater sustainability.