Board Advances Next Phase of Groundwater Monitoring Expansion

The North Kings Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA) Board of Directors has approved funding for the next phase of its Representative Monitoring Network, continuing a long-term effort to strengthen groundwater monitoring across its boundary.

The action builds on several years of planning and investment. In 2024, the Board approved a strategy to develop a network of 48 dedicated monitoring wells over time. Last year, the Board established a reserve fund to support the effort, and earlier this year, North Kings celebrated completion of the first 10 dedicated monitoring wells. Now, with the Fiscal Year 2026-27 budget approved, the GSA is moving forward with the next phase of implementation.

The newly approved budget includes $750,000 to continue expanding the network, with the goal of installing approximately 10 additional dedicated monitoring wells. The investment reflects the increasing importance of groundwater monitoring as the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) places greater emphasis on groundwater level data and representative monitoring networks as part of ongoing Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) implementation.

North Kings currently has 11 dedicated monitoring wells in operation, including a recently completed monitoring well developed in partnership with DWR through their Technical Support Services program. Expanding the network will help fill remaining data gaps across the basin and support long-term groundwater management efforts.  The dedicated monitoring wells will replace existing wells being used to monitoring groundwater levels across the GSA boundary.  The wells provide critical measurements twice a year, Spring and Fall, to evaluate how groundwater levels are responding to hydrological conditions and associated pumping.

As the well installation projects move into the western portion of the GSA, construction costs are expected to increase. Future monitoring wells may require deeper drilling and additional easements to secure suitable locations, factors that were considered when developing the budget for the next phase of work. The investment also supports continued improvements to public access to groundwater information through the North Kings Groundwater Data Viewer, which provides stakeholders with access to monitoring data at existing monitoring well locations, collected twice annually. This data provides a picture of  groundwater trends at specific well sites throughout the region.