A Kings County Judge may decide [this] week whether to allow a lawsuit by the Kings County Farm Bureau to move to the next phase in its quest to prove the State Water Resources Control Board overstepped its authority when it placed the region on probation in 2024 for lacking an adequate groundwater plan. The Farm Bureau is also disputing what it says was an improper blanket denial by the Water Board of exemptions for some local agencies from those probationary measures, which require farmers to meter and register wells at $300 each, report extractions and pay the state $20 per acre foot pumped. At a June 3 hearing, Kings County Superior Court Judge Robert Burns said he may rule by June 11 on whether to start the discovery process, where both sides seek documents. If he does not issue a ruling, the parties will meet July 2 to determine next steps.

Other groundwater news:

• ABC7 (San Francisco): Stanford researchers launch ambitious plan to map and track water: Here’s how