The Paso Robles Area Groundwater Authority was forced to abandon water use fees during a tense meeting Friday after a majority of property owners overwhelmingly objected to them. This means that people pumping from the basin still won’t have to pay for their water use. … As of Friday, 689 of the 1,283 impacted parcels submitted protests for the fees — the majority vote needed to stop the Board of Directors from voting on the rates. … Because the basin is considered “critically overdrafted” by the California Department of Water Resources, the Paso Robles Area Groundwater Authority is required to bring the basin into balance by 2040. The fees were designed to fund state-mandated tasks like monitoring wells and writing annual reports, along with new programs designed to support farmers, dry well owners and balance the basin.

Other groundwater news:

• Daily Republic (Fairfield, Calif.): Solano County ag values tumble, but still 2nd highest ever
• California Department of Water Resources: Video: The role of critical head in managing land subsidence