New Well Intake Portal will gather North Kings GSA well information
At the October 27th meeting, the North Kings GSA Board moved to approve the development of a Well Intake Portal to serve as the centralized location for information on active wells in the North Kings GSA boundary.
Understanding well locations and characteristics is an important component of managing sustainability. Without knowing where wells are located, what depths they are drilled and perforated to, and other construction information, the North Kings GSA cannot effectively assess the impacts of groundwater level declines on well owners. This information is essential for the continued reliability of both domestic and production wells.
Additionally, how many wells are located within the GSA is unclear. Although there are estimates, increasing certainty on the number of wells will help the North Kings GSA better serve its landowners through preparation and development of programs including a well mitigation program for domestic well owners.
Following initial development landowners will be encouraged to contribute well information to the Well Intake Portal.
Landowner-reported data on the Well Intake Portal will deliver the highest level of accuracy, but the North Kings GSA does plan to assess this well information alongside public datasets, like county well records and the State’s GeoTracker database.
Self-reporting information beyond wells will be important for the future success of our local growers and residents under SGMA. Information empowers us to manage our resources for long-term security. The North Kings GSA is coordinating with the Kings River Water Quality Coalition to give landowners the option to allow relevant information (wells, cropping, etc.) from their Irrigated Lands Regulatory Program member portal to be shared with the North Kings GSA.
By electing to share certain information across agencies, landowners can help reduce redundant work of public agencies on data collection while reducing their own workload when it comes to reporting their data. Information shared with the North Kings GSA will be used to better inform and manage water resources for the growers and residents the agency serves.
