A massive and much-anticipated housing development tied up in litigation could potentially be back on again in a small town that borders the Central Valley and Bay Area. The question remains, however: Will there be enough water for it and the surging population nearby?  … In 2024, local water agencies adopted the Delta-Mendota Subbasin Groundwater Sustainability Plan, which included Patterson. … [T]he city of Patterson decided to single out the Keystone Ranch development and attempted to impose the cost of building a groundwater recharge facility on the development, then later denied the project wholesale on April 1, 2025. The California Department of Housing and Community Development, or HCD, found that the city’s review of the project is inconsistent with the state housing agencies.

Other groundwater news:

• SJV Water (Bakersfield, Calif.): Board members sue over alleged ‘water scheme’ in western Fresno County water basin
• SJV Water (Bakersfield, Calif.): Special master to be appointed in east Kern desert water trial