The small city of Lemoore recently joined the legal fight against the powerful state Water Resources Control Board over groundwater sanctions issued against Kings County farmers by the state last year. The Lemoore City Council on May 22 submitted an “amicus brief,” or friend of the court motion, in support of an injunction that has, so far, held those groundwater sanctions at bay.  The injunction was ordered by a Kings County Superior Court judge as part of a lawsuit filed against the Water Board by the Kings County Farm Bureau. The state appealed the injunction, which is now under review by the 5th District Court of Appeal. … Because of that injunction, local farmers have avoided having to meter and register their wells at $300 each, report extractions and pay $20 per acre foot pumped to the state. The sanctions were issued after the Water Board placed the region on probationary status in April 2024 for not having an adequate groundwater plan.