A reduction in state funding for a Visalia-based nonprofit is creating a lot of angst among groundwater agencies and prompting hushed conversations about who should get the bill when domestic wells go dry. The issue is highly sensitive as the state Water Resources Control Board holds both the purse strings to fund emergency water responses and the hammer over agencies trying to get groundwater plans approved under the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA). Most south San Joaquin Valley groundwater sustainability agencies (GSAs) have created programs funded by growers to address domestic well issues caused by overpumping. And they’ve contracted with Self-Help Enterprises, the south valley’s go-to nonprofit for contaminated or dry wells, to run those programs.

Other groundwater news:

• Union of Concerned Scientists: Report: Road map toward a just land transition in California