… The 2023 judgment of Las Posas v. Fox Canyon appointed Fox Canyon as the regulatory “watermaster” with ultimate oversight of the basins and allocations. Voices of dissent quickly emerged, claiming that the judgment appeared to favor large landowners. Lana Franklin, Rob Perry and Debra Tash, who own smaller properties in and near Somis, were left with no water allocations at all. … Franklin, Perry and Tash joined a group of farmers who are currently appealing the outcome, claiming that they never received proper notification through certified mail, and were never alerted that they needed to join the comprehensive adjudication in order to maintain their water allocations.

Other groundwater news:

• The Sacramento Bee: Kaweah basin avoids probation after State Water Board vote
• Salmon and Steelhead Coalition: Report: How well permitting can protect water for people and wildlife