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Tulare County May Restrict New Ag Wells

December 5,2016-
Screen Shot 2015-12-18 at 10.14.40 AMTulare County Board of Supervisors will weigh in on a possible emergency groundwater ordinance this week that could prohibit new lands for being developed or other restrictions on new farm wells. “Other counties are doing it” says Lindsay-based supervisor Alan Ishida. This weeks discussion is to provide direction to staff rather than pass any ordinance itself which could come later.

Ishida points to an ordinance passed in Stanislaus County that may be a model here.Two advisory committees to the county have been examining the controversial idea for months.

The Tulare County Water Commission has suggested the supervisors pass an emergency groundwater ordinance that would expire in 2020 – when the state Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) plan goes into effect to be managed locally by regional associations.

Disagreeing is the Ag Policy Advisory Committee (APAC) to the county who suggests the county pass no moratorium on drilling and that the SGMA should be allowed to work.

In May the Water Commission passed a motion to prohibit new well development on land that has not been in production for10 years and retain an hydrologist to determine proper well separation for new and replacement wells and assess impacts from increased pumping capacity for new and replacement wells.

In June the Ag Policy Advisory Committee recommended no ordinance.

Now the two plans will be heard with county supervisors on both sides of the question.

Opposing any restrictions on property owners is supervisor Phil Cox who says “we ought to do nothing” and instead wait to give the new state groundwater plan a chance to work. “ I don’t like restrictions on how much water a property owner can take from below his land.”

But Ishida responds that “this is exactly what the state groundwater plan is doing -managing the groundwater.” But, he argues, that won’t take affect for several years and county needs to help farmers who are already struggling “ to get enough groundwater in a time when there is less surface water being delivered.”

“The state won’t tell you but they are looking to reduce the irrigated agriculture by about a million acres in California.” Ishida says the county is under pressure to do something now.

Just how the rest of the board feels we will find out Tuesday.

Both Ishida and Cox are stepping down in coming days so it will up to other if this thing moves forward or not.

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