On Tuesday, state water officials took an unprecedented step to intervene in the destructive pumping of depleted groundwater in the state’s sprawling agricultural heartland.
Officials say the Tulare Lake groundwater subbasin failed for years to provide adequate plans to mitigate their well-known water problems.
Probation is a compulsory step to set lagging local agencies back on track to achieve sustainability goals that must be met by 2040.
The decision followed a nine-hour hearing on Tuesday where farmers protested the economic toll it would take on their industry.
He added that Indigenous people who once flourished on these lands no longer have water rights there.
View image in fullscreen Farmers here have said the expected fees on their water use is a devastating blow.
“Food grows where water flows – my district feeds the state,” he said, adding that local water managers across the state would be watching what happens. »
