A California appellate court this week ruled Sonoma County failed to comply with the state’s bedrock environmental law when officials in 2023 amended the local ordinance regulating approval of new well permits outside city limits. The ruling means the county will likely have to devote closer study to the impact of its amended ordinance on imperiled species like salmon and steelhead trout in the Russian River watershed. … Russian Riverkeeper and Coastkeeper Alliance also argued the county had violated the common law public trust doctrine, which requires local governments to protect certain waterways for public uses, including commerce, recreation, navigation and species habitat. The appellate court’s three-justice panel reversed the lower court’s decision on those grounds.

Other groundwater news around the West:

• Action News Now (Chico, Calif.): Precedent set for groundwater testing in Sonoma County could have state-wide implication
• Sonoma Valley Sun (Sonoma, Calif.): State court: Counties must protect rivers from groundwater pumping​
• San Bernardino Sun (Calif.): Will Southern California ever get Mojave Desert groundwater? Should it?
• The Napa Valley Register (Napa, Calif.): Napa County to set Napa Valley groundwater fees
• Arizona Daily Star (Tucson): State pushes 10% water use cut for farmers in Willcox Basin
• The Fresno Bee: Opinion: Alternative crops on California farms offer options beyond fallowing land