Fresno, Tulare, and Kings county-area groundwater agencies hit one-year anniversary of their “mitigation program”

Fresno, Tulare, and Kings county-area groundwater agencies hit one-year anniversary of their “mitigation program”, support for households who lose water due to declining groundwater levels

FRESNO – Seven locally led Groundwater Sustainability Agencies are a year out from launching their domestic well mitigation program that offers temporary water relief and long-term solutions for households that lose water in their well due to declining groundwater levels.

The program is offered to private well owners within the Kings Subbasin geographic region, nearly 1 million acres covering portions of Fresno, Tulare, and Kings counties.

Kings Subbasin, the mitigation program area

The program launch in October last year was spurred by the adoption of a Domestic Well Mitigation Plan by the Kings Subbasin Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSAs), all who are tasked by the State with halting the chronic groundwater overdraft occurring within the region. The state law, Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), requires the agencies to work together to balance groundwater supplies by 2040.

“We understand that it’s not going to happen overnight. Groundwater is a shared resource, and critical to so many in the Kings Subbasin,” states Kassy Chauhan, North Kings GSA Executive Officer. “While we work towards sustainability over the next 15 years, we anticipate groundwater levels will decline until stabilizing in 2040. This program is a resource for those affected by those declines.”

The program offers temporary water relief including bottled water delivery for drinking and a water tank for households needs, in addition to financial assistance through a combination of grants and low interest loans to implement a long-term water supply solution like deepening a well or drilling a new one.

The GSA managers understand that many well owners who would benefit from the program are likely unfamiliar with their agency or SGMA more generally. As part of the launch effort, the agencies heavily coordinated on the program approach, streamlining the program information and application process.

Rather than house information about the program across seven separate websites communicating different processes, the GSAs opted for a public-friendly unified hub to share information about the program and how to apply. And five of the GSAs are using a shared online application through the site to further simplify the process. 

The GSAs also hosted a virtual workshop for well drillers and pump companies in the area last spring to provide a briefing on the program and help them understand how to support customers who may be part of the program or could benefit from its services.

Those interested in learning more or submitting an application can visit mydrywell.org or call the program manager at (559) 777-2419.