The directors of a Kings County water district didn’t like it, but they agreed to support a land assessment fee to pay for regulations to minimize the impacts of excessive groundwater pumping even though the district, itself, doesn’t actually contribute to the problem. Directors of the Lakeside Irrigation Water District agreed on Sept. 2 to support a land assessment fee being proposed by a separate entity, the Mid-Kings Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA). … Mid-Kings GSA is proposing to establish an annual fee of $26.84 per acre. … But most of the 330 acres owned by Lakeside Irrigation is actually used for groundwater recharge from the Kaweah River, directors noted at their meeting. Meaning, the district, itself, not only doesn’t contribute to the groundwater deficit, it provides a net benefit to the subbasin.

Other groundwater news:

• Yale Climate Connections: Blog: The next water crisis is beneath our feet​