… Industry leaders and experts point to a variety of reasons for the decline of small farms in California, including water shortages, labor challenges and real estate costs. … The future concern for farmers is groundwater management regulations. Historically, farmers have turned to groundwater during droughts. The state largely ignored the practice and allowed for critical overdrafts of the aquifer, causing parts of the state to sink, a process called subsidence. The state began to rein in the practice of overdraft with the passage of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act in 2014, which required new local agencies to develop groundwater management plans. The agencies can restrict pumping, impose fees and require meters.

Other groundwater news:

• The Arizona Republic (Phoenix): Phoenix suburb says new fee brings water independence
• Arizona Farm Bureau: Blog: Willcox plan shakes up Arizona groundwater policy