Source: sjvwater.org

Hanford-area groundwater agency extends well reporting deadline, adds workshops

Fetched 2026-07-08 08:01 from sjvwater.org

Reading Summary (AI-generated)

Reading Summary: Mid-Kings GSA Well Registration Extension

Key Facts

• Mid-Kings River Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA) extended its well registration deadline to Aug. 17
• Mailing verification codes to landowners with 5 acres or fewer, those who haven’t registered, and those with incomplete registrations
• Two workshops scheduled at Kings County Ag Commissioner’s office, 680 Campus Dr.: July 20 and July 27, 1–3 p.m.
• This GSA registration is separate from the state Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) registration required after the Tulare Lake subbasin was placed on probation in 2024
• State fees — $300 per well and $20 per acre-foot pumped — are currently on hold due to ongoing litigation

Who Is Affected

• Landowners and growers in the Hanford/Kings County area within the Mid-Kings River GSA boundary
• The Tulare Lake subbasin broadly, which is under state probation

Policy/Legal Angle

• Tulare Lake subbasin placed on SWRCB probation in 2024 for lacking an adequate Groundwater Sustainability Plan (under SGMA)
• State-mandated well registration and extraction reporting deadline was May 1
• State fees are suspended pending unspecified legal action

Blog Angles

• What is the legal challenge holding up the $300/well and $20/acre-foot fees — who filed, and what are the grounds?
• Why are two separate well registration systems (GSA and SWRCB) running simultaneously, and does this create compliance confusion for small landowners?
• How does probation status actually change grower obligations on the ground, and are other subbasins watching this as a precedent?

Full Text

Hanford-area groundwater agency extends well reporting deadline, adds workshops

The Mid-Kings River Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA) has extended its well registration deadline to Aug. 17 as the agency continued to mail codes for growers to access the system online.

Landowners with 5 acres or fewer, those who have not registered and those who started registering but didn’t finish will be receiving verification codes to complete registration for Mid-Kings’ well registration platform in the next week.

The deadline extension will give landowners time to receive their codes and attend workshops if aid is needed.

Those workshops will be held at the Kings County Ag Commissioner’s office multi-purpose room, 680 Campus Dr. at the following dates and times:

• July 20, 1 to 3 p.m.

• July 27, 1 to 3 p.m.

Landowners should bring their verification code, a laptop and well information to the workshop.

This registration process is separate from the one required by the state Water Resources Control Board as a result of the Tulare Lake subbasin being placed on probation in 2024 for lacking an adequate groundwater plan.

Growers were required to register wells and report groundwater extractions to the state by May 1. Growers are required to pay $300 per well and $20 per acre foot pumped.

Those fees have been held off pending an ongoing legal action.

SJV Water is a nonprofit newsroom dedicated to covering water issues in the San Joaquin Valley. It was founded in 2019 by Editor/CEO Lois Henry