Well permit review is a priority for North Kings GSA under new process initiated by Governor’s Executive Order

The North Kings GSA staff is prioritizing well permit review on behalf of landowners and drillers under a new process with Fresno County. The new process includes the North Kings GSA in permit review in response to Governor Newsom’s Executive Order N-7-22, signed on March 28, 2022.

Read Executive Order N-7-22 here, signed in response to extreme and expanding drought conditions.

The Order directs that no well permits may be approved by permitting agencies until first approved by the Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA) managing the area where the well is proposed. Since the Order was signed, the North Kings GSA has coordinated closely with the County to roll out an efficient process that gets well permits reviewed as quickly as possible.

Two new approval criteria for well permits were introduced by the Order, with split responsibility between the North Kings GSA and the County. The North Kings GSA is responsible to determine whether the well is consistent with the Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP) regarding estimated groundwater demand and the water budget used to calculate sustainability needs into the future. The County is responsible to identify whether the well will impact subsidence rates or interfere with surrounding wells.